“Voir Dire” by Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist
Another top-tier release from a prolific producer.
Hello! 😊👋
Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s music pick is the highest high in what’s been a prolific year for The Alchemist, rap’s producer of the moment.
Genre: Hip-Hop, Alternative
Label: ALC
Release Date: October 6, 2023
Vibe: 🔥🔥🔥
2023 has been a prolific year for The Alchemist, a producer well-respected by hip-hop heads who’s finally reaching a broader audience (that’s a good thing, by the way). If you don’t count singles, he’s released seven albums and EPs, using his signature soulful sample work to amplify voices like MIKE, Larry June, Domo Genesis, and, with Voir Dire, Earl Sweatshirt. When it was announced, it sounded like an ideal pairing—an emcee who goes out of his way to present an enigmatic persona and a creative mastermind who turns hip-hop into dazzling dreamscapes. With repeat listens under my belt, I can safely say the final product exceeds those high expectations. It’s an expertly crafted, frequently beautiful piece of work that brings out the best in both of its central figures. The bright, 70s-centric sample work counterbalances Earl’s penchant for darker lyricism and off-kilter line readings, giving rap fans an example of what perfectly pitched chiaroscuro sounds like.
The Alchemist’s beats tend to drop you right in the middle of a sample for maximum effect, and Voir Dire is full of these delicious moments. From the soaring, crackling string section on “100 High Street” and the irresistible guitar loop on “Vin Skully” to the quiet storm evocations of “Heat Check” and “Sirius Blac,” these are hands-down some of the best beats of the year, if not his entire career. Track to track, the assembled talent behind the mic is up for the challenge, with Earl leaning into some complex internal rhymes that sound effortless but, if you read the lyrics while listening, are deceptively complex to execute with that level of smoothness. Vince Staples, a matter-of-fact complement to Earl’s flights of fancy, turns up with a couple of sterling cameos too, particularly on “The Caliphate,” which ascends into the haziest, most colorful dreamscape I’ve heard in a while. While I’m hesitant to call this record an acquired taste, it’s definitely worlds away from hip-hop’s standard-issue (and, if I’m honest, tired) braggadocio. It won’t bowl you over, but it’ll certainly wow you with its technical wizardry.
Coming in at a tight 27 minutes, it’s clear neither The Alchemist nor Earl Sweatshirt is here to waste anyone’s time.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈