Covert Coup
Album by Curren$y and The Alchemist
Released 20 April 2011
Hip Hop
Label – Jet Life
Rating – 7.5/10
‘Covert Coup’ is a historic outpouring of emcee-producer chemistry.
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It seems I can’t stop running into OutKast references/comparisons through much of my recent hip hop intake. Your Old Droog’s ‘TIME’ contains the informative storytelling prowess frequented by the duo, while IDK interpolates Andre 3000’s famous intro verse from UGK’s ‘Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You)’ – potentially my favourite rap song – into ‘Peloton’ from his latest album ‘USEE4YOURSELF’.
But it’s Big Boi’s verse from ‘Aquemini’s’ ‘Skew It on the Bar-B’ – or specifically the first rhyme from his verse – that finds itself heavily utilised on the chorus of ‘The Type’, from Curren$y and The Alchemist’s now-ten-year-old collaborative mini LP ‘Covert Coup’, as the former hustles “we bust raps like B-boys bust gats / we the type of people that don’t bury the axe”.
That hook not only serves as a tribute to OutKast but a reminder of the status of the two behind the 2011 album that has now found its way onto streaming services. While Andre and Big Boi found themselves complementing one another’s skillsets verse-by-verse, ‘Covert Coup’ might be the peak of Curren$y and The Alchemist bouncing off of one another emcee-to-producer and vice versa, proving their respective adaptability.
And that hook isn’t the simple case of two hip hop heads – alongside Prodigy – thinking they’re worth more than they are. The album came out a time when Curren$y had put in the mileage as a credible player, having spent almost a decade in the game, and had just started his own label Jet Life of which ‘Covert Coup’ is one of the earliest releases, and Alchemist had spent considerable time already as Eminem’s official DJ.
But the album is a breakthrough of sorts, that skyrocketed the credibility of Curren$y and his ability to play well with others. ‘The Type’ is balls-to-the-wall, not utilising the subtle guitar riffs associated by Alchemist, but a clavinet signature that transforms into a rolling bassline, conceived somewhere between the dirty south and Compton. Spitta and Prodigy comply with imposing bars, never burying the axe or the hatchet, as brief instrumental bridges glitch into each next stanza.
Opening cut ‘BBS’ does utilise those trademark guitar samples, gloomily hurdling and arpeggiating throughout the track as Curren$y applies a bulky, unmovable heft to the looseness of the beat; a yin and yang coming together in a weird, but necessary, embrace.
An implacable grit is recovered for ‘Double 07’, as Spitta stabs with malice over a piano sample surrounded by hard rock-style guitar licks. The display goes full metal on ‘Full Metal’, loudening with a booming bass sample and Wu-Tang interpolations.
But hey, ask a long-time fan what is so special about ‘Covert Coup’ and they may point you toward the ‘weed raps’ associated with Jet Life. Obviously, hip hop has had a historic association with pharmaceuticals, but Curren$y’s green lust deepens into the heart of the album, inaugurated by ‘Blood, Sweat & Gears’; togetherness in toking as Spitta greasily raps “maintain the smoke / let you take a couple grams home if you my folk”, passing the blunt to Fiend, who appears baked out of his head over his feature, spiralling over a psychedelic bassline.
The essence of ‘Smoke Break’ is competitive smoking, which isn’t as fun, unless, you know, you’re competitive. The song signals the monotony of constant weed-taking, as what should be a footnote of “y’all can get down, but I bet y’all can’t keep up” rambles its way through the latter portion.
But everything else is handled with a rebel’s tact – make that two rebels and their likeminded friends, such as Smoke DZA, who rocks up over the never-old, grizzled guitar riff ‘Life Instructions’, long after Curren$y friendlily lifts us in with “pattycake, pattycake, I’m baked my man”.
And Freddie Gibbs, one of the leading drug rappers and Alchemist’s second best pal after Evidence, hits the hard stuff on ‘Scottie Pippen’, essentially outdoing any other emcee with faster, slicker bars and thick, assonant rhyme schemes that never lose heat or speed. He’d approve of Curren$y’s opening announcement on the drowsy ‘Ventilation’ – “white carpet in my Scarface house / no undergarments on my Scarface spouse”.
‘Success Is My Cologne’ keeps the vibe going into the final stages of the album, trippily sparking untameable drums that beat away via their own freewill, and space cake synth pads. There’s also that Big Daddy Kane “FUNKY” from ‘Just Rhymin’, featuring Biz Markie, who has sadly just passed away.
It is, again, Alchemist’s frenzied production that takes centre stage on the penultimate track. That brutal, guitar-on-hard beat approach is the charm, alongside that oh-so-clear chemistry.
In 2021, these interplays may not seem like revelations, but the personable ambition of the two credited artists is dead evident on ‘Covert Coup’. It may also be a little too brief – depending on who you ask, it may be an EP – but holy hell, nobody has ever shown off so astoundingly over such a short project like this.
Personally, I feel as though the super modern mood of ‘Covert Coup’ is why it’s been lost in the shuffle to some extent. Obviously, that’s also because the two minds behind the record are two of the hardest working, most frequently-recording/releasing artists over the last decade in hip hop, but what I’d say comes close to obtaining the badge of a modern classic, hits too many bumps to do so clearly.
But it’s a hell of a tracklist, one that deserves to see the immaculate, headstrong production of Alchemist, and the bulbous drug raps of Curren$y, celebrated with no further analysis. After all, Jet Life’s commonly used acronym ‘JETS’ stands for “just enjoy this shit”, and I enjoy this shit.
Best tracks – ‘The Type’ – ‘Blood, Sweat & Gears’ – ‘Life Instructions’ – ‘Scottie Pippen’.
Weakest track – ‘Smoke Break’.
Rating – 7.5 out of 10
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