Gutter Water is a collaborative studio album by producer/emcee The Alchemist, and Oh No, the left-coast rapper/beatsmith who together are known as Gangrene.

Over the course of three years and a myriad of emails, the two have built a project that celebrates their shared passion for dusty breaks and lurid wordplay as well as their distinctly different application of each.

As an artist, The Alchemist cut his teeth making beats for NYC legends Mobb Deep and Jadakiss in the early 2000s. Both camps make 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 the Stone’s Throw record label, home to artist and Oh No’s brother Madlib, leading up to the release of his three solo efforts.

Gangrene’s Gutter Water is the indie/mainstream middle-ground at which the two collide. On Gutter Water, both Oh No and The Alchemist share production duties while trading verses over each other’s dense compositions.

A fusion of Rap and Hip-Hop, this album will take some time to grow on you. The overuse of sampled quotes and sounds you've heard before (like the evil laugh first heard on Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and Paul Hardcastle's 'The Wizard') soon become a little tiresome. Although I was interested in the sampled interview where someone claims no one dies until they want to - very bizarre.

The music though is a little on the bland side for my tastes, but still worth a listen.

6

Nick Smithson