Gangrene - Gutter Water [2010]

The Alchemist and Oh No met at a show in the late 2000’s. The two had grown to be remarkably similar artists, with both utilizing zany samples and rapping in a gruff, gangsta rap manner. After a short period of sending material back and forth, one of my favorite rap duos was officially born: Gangrene. The Sawblade EP was the first taste of what was to come, distinguishing the two as a dirty, 90’s inspired, charmingly progressive duo, who’s subject matter would often border on comically brutal and disgusting. With these two artists demonstrating their chemistry so well together, they were finally ready to take their first step in career-defining eras: Gutter Water, the first LP released under the Gangrene name, released in 2010, and set the bar high for both artists going forward into the 2010’s.

The Alchemist released Chemical Warfare in 2009, and by this point his sound began to come across as stale

Despite his legendary status as of late, with everyone from Griselda to TDE singing his praises, The Alchemist wasn’t always at the top of the sampling game. A decade ago the story was very different for Alan the Chemist, who spend a good part of the 2000’s criticized for lack-luster beats and ill-advised collaborations, sentiments that do contain truth to them in a way. The reality is that Uncle Al has always had an affinity for the underground, and while the beats he was giving to the likes of Ghostface and Jadakiss could be seen as sterile, his graciousness in regards to beats given to lesser known artists is astounding. His best material he gave to the likes of Evidence, Mobb Deep, & Cypress Hill, whom he has always had deep and long-lasting connections to. Going into the 2010’s, The Alchemist would begin to shift his style: he would begin producing an artist’s entire project from top to bottom with tailored beats, his production would shift to a more left-field sound, and, most importantly, he would begin rapping in earnest again.

The Oxperiment, Oh No’s best album in the 2000’s, was widely praised, but I found the album needed more of a foundation

                Oh No’s story is a common story; an artist making a name for himself while under the massive shadow of family legacy. His brother, Madlib, had completely shifted the underground hip-hop game with the release of Madvillainy, and the expectations of samplers, especially eclectic and left-field samplers, were set to an incredibly high bar. People were extra critical of Oh No in his early days, who despite releasing many quality projects throughout the 2000’s, was always said to be just shy of the brilliance that his brother had achieved. In the later part of the decade I believe he finally said fuck it and decided that, instead of solely operating in the genre of instrumental hip-hop based on obscure samples, he would return to his initial rapper/producer passions.

                Like I mentioned, both Al and Oh No had rapped previously, but had let their production take the forefront for the majority of the 2000’s. Both at some point had attempted a traditional rap career, both in very saturated eras of popular hip-hop music (Alchemist in the early 90’s when everyone was trying to go gangsta, Oh No in the early 2000’s when people were trying to cash-in on the hip-hop brand), and both had found that the true strength at the moment was pursuing their production careers. Things changed as their public perceptions changed, with both wanting to pick up rapping in earnest again, and both wanting to explore the weirder sides of hip-hop. Gutter Water serves as the first foray into this new way at approaching music, making music that both The Alchemist and Oh No were truly comfortable with making.

                The two complement each other well in terms of rapping, with Oh No bringing a junkyard-dog-like approach to rapping with his heavy-accented spit-flinging delivery and Alan being the more sinister, but just as clever, deceiver. If Oh No is as nasty as mud, then Alchemist is like dirt; The Alchemist is the good cop and Oh No the bad cop (both are corrupt as fuck, it’s just a matter of *how* dirty). Al might be the more technically gifted, with rhyme-schemes obviously being very important to him, but Oh No brings the disgustingness that this album is so happy to throw around. You could even say Oh No is a caricature of a typical gangsta rapper from earlier in the decade, where while someone like 50 Cent would say he’ll meet you out in the street, Oh No would rather hit you with a Molotov, kill your supplier, and kill you with his AR-15 of a mind. It’s this kind of tongue-in-cheek ultraviolence that really sells the “gutter” quality of the album lyrically, and is complemented perfectly with the cooler, smoky, calculated raps that The Alchemist lays down. Al’s style is an older and wordier one, with more interesting turns of phrase and colorful metaphors that highlight a creative mind’s abilities. Tracks like Boss Shit and Take Drugs showcase his abilities to pen engaging rhyme schemes. All of that being said, with all of my personal love and bias for these two emcees, I can see why one would discount the two as lyricists: there were a ton of amazing emcees bubbling up into the underground at this time, and in comparison to the styles of, say, a Freddie Gibbs, The Alchemist and Oh No can be seen as average. Their personality and wit, along with their complementary deliveries, are really the ingredients that allow the duo to work as well as they do, and I don’t believe that that should be discounted.

                If you aren’t here for the rhymes, then you would be doing a disservice to yourself by passing this album up, because the production on here is some of the best in both artists discographies. The job is split evenly between The Alchemist and Oh No, and they do a fantastic job of blending their two styles together to create a disgusting whole, but both should be applauded separately for their accomplishments. Oh No does some of the crazier, brasher cuts off of the record; the excellently trippy Intro with it’s vocal cuts of children’s shows (the beginning notes on here are so full of personality and do so well to set the foundation to the “point” of the duo’s nasty persona), Boss Shit with it’s rock hard percussion and dramatic/terrifying strings and thunder effects, the hilarious Take Drugs that is one of the most in-your-face instrumentals that plays as a sort of gang-chant, and Ransom that is a collage of horns, electric guitars, and a subtle repetition of half second clip of George Clinton’s “UHGN”. Without Oh’s contributions, I think the album wouldn’t be nearly as lighthearted as it turned out to be; a good comparison point would be Lord Steppington from a couple years later, which was entirely produced entirely by Al, that feels much more self-serious that Gangrene ever was. The Alchemist brings the ambiance to this project, with the *insane* piano arpeggios that feels like you are slipping into another dimension on Not High Enough, the sinister Get Into Some Gutter Shit with Planet Asia that is made legendary by the words spoken to Pretty Tony and the devilish and funky synths that pervade the track, the glitchy electric guitar laced From Another Orbit, and the chilling Standing In The Shadows with it’s wailing synths and perfect vocal sample. That last track contains Alch’s main strength over Oh, which is his superior usage of vocal samples that are seamlessly incorporated into a beat; however, like the complementary rap styles, I believe their two production ears are also a perfect match, with the over-the-top abrasive whimsy of Oh No meshing well with Al’s more traditional (but fined tuned) drums and sampling.

                I’ll touch on the features briefly by saying that they are serviceable. DJ Romes provides scratches on several cuts on the album, which are visceral and harsh and match well with the energy, especially on the track Boss Shit. Guilty Simpson (who had mere months earlier dropped O.J. Simpson with Madlib, and was now in arguably the height of his fame) brings his typical hard-nosed lyrics and esoteric delivery to Brass Knuckle Rap, and while it may not be my favorite feature from him, it fits the bill of the track. Fashawn and Evidence bring hella energy to Wassup Wassup with straight bars. Raekwon does his thing on the title track, but it feels rather by the numbers for a Raekwon verse at that point. Planet Asia steals the show on Get Into Some Gangster Shit, with not only my favorite feature but also my favorite verse on this entire project. His voice is amazing, and his wordplay and flow are so fun to follow along with as his rhyme scheme twists and turns.

                Needless to say, I believe Gangrene is one of the most underrated acts in hip-hop, and although the individual parts of the group are lavished with praise (rightfully so), it seems that The Alchemist and Oh No never got the shine that an album of Gutter Water’s quality deserved. Both Vodka and Ayahuasca and You Disgust Me are quality records as well, but Gutter Water was so much more… gutter. Dirty. It was a spark of brilliance between two masters of craft, both of whom have gone on to conquer so much of the underground hip-hop scene. I highly recommend this album if you like great sampling, an engaging theme, and a good spread of left-field and punchy instrumentals; I promise that you won’t be disappointed, but you might be disgusted.

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