aaamusic | On 22, Nov 2010

Famed producer/emcee The Alchemist and the left-coast rapper/beatsmith Oh No are collaborating asGangrene to bring audiences the gritty opus ‘Gutter Water’ on Decon. Over the course of three years and a myriad of emails the two have built a project that celebrates their shared passion and distinctly different application for dusty breaks and lurid wordplay.

As an artist, The Alchemist cut his teeth making beats for NYC legends Mobb Deep and Jadakiss in the early 2000s. Both camps made appearances on Alc’s 2006 solo debut ‘1st Infantry’ and he has since become Eminem’s touring DJ as well as producing for the likes of Lil’ Wayne and Nas. Simultaneously, on the other side of the country Oh No was producing a plethora of tracks for Stones Throw, home to artist and Oh No’s brother Madlib, leading up to the release of his three solo albums. Gangrene’s ‘Gutter Water’ is the indie/mainstream middle-ground at which the two collide.

On ‘Gutter Water’ both The Alchemist and Oh No share production duties while trading verses over each other’s dense compositions. Both find themselves remarkably at ease amongst the threatening drums pounded out on endearing vintage equipment, flipping verses that run the gamut from literal to abstract, amounting to an incredible collection of head-nodders. A myriad of artists including Raekwon, Evidence, Roc C, MED, Twins Gambino, Planet Asia and Fashawn are featured.