Disappointing music from the producer sees him rap and go backwards.
On the stroke of midnight, The Alchemist released a fresh song, Floppy Disks. This surprise drop may get some excited, but don’t get your hopes up.
While it’s chock-full of a soliloquy of self-indulgence, it only rings true when he is on firm ground. Unfortunately, there is little to unpack here on his latest work.
What It Sounds Like
Paying tribute to his veteran skill, ALC leverages this production knowledge to demonstrate an abstract beat-making ability. Sonically verging on white-noise, and evokes a deep city tone.
This time, Maman dispatches notes of his own, in an attempt to prove he is no one-trick pony: “I’m not trying to be aggressive. When I talk, it’s part of my speech. If I offend you, pardon my reach.”
Featuring the voice and insight of DJ Premier on the introduction, the track plays like a documentary. ALC exhibits his proficiency in sound exploration, but it seems his wordplay needs work, “I’ll give a summary and let you fill the details of the story in, Still DeLorean.”
Final Thoughts
While we appreciate the craft of his exploits, this one is going to go unnoticed. It’s art, but still music, and perhaps this production has a time and a place. Overall, feels more like a message for himself than for his audience. If you’re trying to convince listeners of your adeptness, it will impress niche audiences, but a new generation may not understand.
Sonically, it feels like a rejected cut from The Skeleton Key, and if that’s the case, I can understand why. While it heads in the right direction, attempts to find a new sound ultimately fail due to a lack of glissando.
It’s an interesting production, but that’s as far as it goes. Fortunately, we live in a time where streaming allows artists to publish music they want us to hear without overheads dictating a return on investment.
Perhaps if another rapper supplied the vocals, the monotonous tone it is imbued with may serve its purpose. But Maman’s flow, delivery and verse further sour a dire note. Let’s hope his new album with Yasiin Bey does not sound like this.
Where to Stream
Floppy Disks can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music.
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