El Michels Affair
Glorious Game
Release Date: Apr 14, 2023
Genre(s): Rap, R&B, Alternative Rap, Hardcore Rap, Contemporary Rap
Record label: Big Crown
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Album Review: Glorious Game by El Michels Affair
Exceptionally Good, Based on 3 Critics
Based on rating 4.6/5
Coming off the critically acclaimed Cheat Codes -- a runner-up for the DX Best Hip Hop Album Of 2022 award -- Tariq Trotter, better known as Black Thought, once again asserts his Zeus-level pen with Glorious Game, a collaborative LP with El Michels Affair (headed by one of his fave producers, Leon Michels). AD LOADING... Playing out as a stage-worthy one-person show, Thought remains endearingly personal throughout the tightly curated 31-minute project, walking us through the sights, sounds, smells and sensibilities instilled coming up in the Point Breeze neighborhood of South Philadelphia.
Based on rating 7.5/10
It seems so obvious. Black Thought--a soulful, GOAT-discussion MC who feels right at home over live instrumentation after 30+ years with The Roots--links up with Wu-Tang-covering soul group El Michels Affair, helmed by original Dap-Kings member and prolific collaborator Leon Michels. It seems so obvious, in fact, that fears of well-trod cliché on such a project would be understandable.
Opinion: Excellent
Black Thought's creative run continues. Last year's Danger Mouse link-up 'Cheat Codes' became a breakout success, lauded by 6Music alongside a host of critical outlets, and he digs into those funky roots once more on this full-length El Michels Affair team-up. Endlessly entertaining, singles like 'Grateful' illustrate the MC's ability to punch out a killer chorus while rooted in that old school appeal.
'Glorious Game'
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