Collaborative EP between Smoke DZA and Benny the Butcher, entirely produced by Pete Rock. Smoke DZA and Pete Rock have collaborated few years later in "Don't Smoke Rock". Styles P, Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine are the guests of the project.
The first track of the extended play is "By Any Means": great boom bap jazzy with light piano looped in the background and a lean and vibrant drum machine, excellent East Coast rhythm, dusty, typical of NY '97. Splendid. Benny & DZA exchange back and forth verses. The next choice is "Bullets", which presents a simple, minimal boom bap. Light and lively drum, positive, dusty, a little frenetic rhythm, this too has the mood of the late nineties, gold, with taut bridge on the hook. Both emcee are fine here, then Conway destroys the cut. "Smoke" ("Smoked and Butchered" in the instrumental tape published by Pete Rock later) presents a mafia cut composed of a tight and simple jazzy rhythm, uptempo, with skinny drum machine and a wonderful female soulful acute sample looped tight in the background, good delivery of DZA, Benny, well-made hook of Styles P.
"7:30" isn't inferior to the previous ones: simple and frenetic rhythm, with dusty eccentric piano, lively and skinny drum machine and tight male sample that has the task of making some shots in the background, also this rhythm wants to bring back that New York atmosphere of the 1997. Excellent opening by the Butcher, then chorus by Westside Gunn, Smoke DZA closes the track with his style. "Drug Rap" boasts an uncertain rhythm, walks quietly and lonely in the dark alleys of New York: the boom bap is incessant, uptempo, there's a lively and sinister piano in the background, the drum machine seems to become stronger and more powerful every second that pass by, while you try to escape from your past. Good alchemy between the two emcees, both rip the tune. "Toast" closes: tense rhythm, skinny and syncopated drum machine, vibrant and incessant, this is the darkest instrumental cut of the tape, with excellent samples, good rapping of Benny and Smoke DZA.
Pete Rock produces the EP entirely by offering a excellent, raw, jazzy-dark sound, perfect background for the mafioso cuts of DZA and Benny which have excellent chemistry between them, realizing one of the best hip hop collabo of the year. The replay value remains remarkably high with under twenty minutes of pure quality. It's truly a pure and brilliant jewel, must-listen for East Coast / light and jazzy boom bap aficionados.
Rating: 7.8/10.
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