Danger Mouse
Cheat Codes
Release Date: Aug 12, 2022
Genre(s): Rap
Record label: BMG Rights Management
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Album Review: Cheat Codes by Danger Mouse
Excellent, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 4.6/5
There’s a line on “Aquamarine” where Black Thought says he was “born to be a teacher” and that couldn’t be more evident on Cheat Codes, his new collaborative project with Danger Mouse. The Roots’ de facto leader bobs and weaves his way through the renowned producer’s time-traveling production like he’s Muhammad Ali, while spilling some of the hard-won wisdom he’s learned over the course of his life. “Haters and naysayers is buried in cake layers,” he raps with his baritone bravado.
Based on rating 8/10
With all the tools -- a reputation as an all-time great wordsmith and daily visibility on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon included -- to make great mainstream efforts, Black Thought remains admirably committed to crafting lyrically rich, left-field hip-hop. However, considering the way his projects sound like the Roots MC is periodically channeling the entire Dead Poets Society, there's something surprisingly easy-going about Cheat Codes, his full-length collaboration with chameleonic producer Danger Mouse. Here, Danger Mouse serves a role similar to his collaborations with MF DOOM (DANGERDOOM), CeeLo Green (Gnarls Barkley) and James Mercer (Broken Bells).
Based on rating 7.5/10
Brian Joseph Burton, also known as Danger Mouse, has been a prominent producer for the past two decades. He began his career in hip-hop, gaining notoriety with 2003's Ghetto Pop Life and 2004's The Grey Album, a controversial, yet visionary record that mashed-up vocals from Jay-Z's The Black Album with instrumentals from The Beatles' self-titled album (aka The White Album). He was also producing for Danger Doom, a hip-hop project with rapper MF Doom.
Opinion: Excellent
Black Thought's unmistakably passionate rhyme style has flowed for over 30 years, yet outside of the Roots, he hasn't had a proper, standalone album where he can convey his greatness. Judging by his new album 'Cheat Codes', he's acutely aware of this. "It ain't an easy odyssey to follow me / we do kinesiology with no apology", he asserts on 'The Darkest Part', but now he's ready to take on the solo LP.
'Cheat Codes'
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