Danger Mouse’s sample-heavy production manages to simultaneously feel nostalgic and futuristic, with enough variation to make each song feel like a new experience.

Cheat Codes is another impressive addition to both Black Thought and Danger Mouse’s catalogues. Danger Mouse is able to curate an exceptional batch of beats while Black Thought’s rhymes are as poignant as his days as the front man for The Roots. Their chemistry together seeps from every note, as the two bring out the best in each other.

The album’s opener “Sometimes” is the perfect indication of what the listener is in for, as Danger Mouse immediately shows off his sampling skills, taking the soulful instruments and vocals from Gwen McCrae’s “Love Without Sex” and ever-so-slightly tweaking it. This creates the perfect soundscape for Black Thought to effortlessly deliver his extremely well-written verse, keeping it short and sweet while not wasting a single second.

Cheat Codes then seamlessly transitions into the title track, where Thought’s aggressive delivery over a gritty and ominous beat perfectly captures the essence of the album. Another standout from the duo comes on the album’s closer, “Violas and Lupitas”. On it, Danger uses layers of grand strings to convey the conclusion of the album and perfectly textures the song with a chunky bassline. Black Thought’s lyrical consistency does not take a dip here either, as he masterfully paints a picture of triumph to finish out the album.

The pair aren’t free from questionable choices, especially on “Close to Famous” where an organ that sounds as though it was giving its final breaths is forefront and takes away from an otherwise decent song. Or on “Identical Deaths” where the vibe of the album is upheld but doesn’t add much else to the album.

However, Cheat Code’s list of negatives is overwhelmingly outweighed by all its positives. What helps to set Cheat Codes apart from similar albums is the features. Each artist brings their A-game and something fresh to the song they are featured on. Take A$AP Rocky for example. Hip-hop snobs must have been confused after seeing the feature list for “Strangers”, as it puts Rocky with the likes of Black Thought and Run The Jewels’ El-P and Killer Mike. Rocky must have known he had something to prove as he holds his own and effortlessly switches his flow with some clever bars. “Because” has another surprise in store, as Russ holds his own with Black Thought and Joey Bada$$. The trio delivers outstanding verses alongside Dylan Cartlidge as his chorus is perfect for the grainy, lavish sampled guitars and drums thanks to Danger.

On “The Darkest Part”, both Thought and Raekwon have particularly memorable lyrics over this boom-bap type of beat. Again, Danger shows off his affinity for sampling, as he uses some piano chops from Kiki Dee’s “Rest My Head” that work well with Kid Sister’s textured chorus. Michael Kiwanuka’s chorus on “Aquamarine” adds to the melancholic feeling of the song, and Danger’s production makes it seem straight out of a scene from a black and white cowboy movie. Thought’s verses on this track are some of the best on the entire album, as he discusses the human condition as well as his own journey in life.

The best moment of Cheat Codes comes on “Belize”, in the form of a beautiful posthumous verse from the one and only MF DOOM. On this track, Danger pieces together a rather haunting instrumental from Federal Duck’s “Peace in My Mind”, with cloudy bass and horns contrasted by bright keys. Thought gives some great bars on his verse, but it really is DOOM who steals the show on the back half of the track. The Supervillain gives a performance only he can do with lyrics like “Fat rat, the mask made him batty as a mad hatter”, and “Known for his absurd word choices / And will ignore you if you ask him if he heard voices”. DOOM’s verse is reminiscent of his collaboration with Danger Mouse as DANGERDOOM on THE MOUSE & THE MASK. His inclusion in the song feels like Danger’s way of saying farewell to the legendary emcee. This makes for a touching moment and a bittersweet goodbye.

Danger Mouse’s sample-heavy production manages to simultaneously feel nostalgic and futuristic, with enough variation to make each song feel like a new experience while maintaining the album’s cohesion. Each beat is tailored towards Black Thought, whose pristine lyricism and buttery flow combine to create a consistent 38 minutes of nonstop enjoyability. Sprinkle in some top-notch features including an amazing posthumous MF DOOM inclusion, and you get one of the best hip-hop albums of the year.