Roc Marciano & Alchemist - The Elephant Man’s Bones (Discussion Thread)

[T.H.E. Goat]

Man...beats the shyt outta me. My guess is that it's probably a sample, but I wouldn't be surprised at all after that Cycles synth album.

Definitely one of the most unorthodox beats of his I've heard.

Sorry for the late reply my breh…sometimes I be feeling like some of Al’s recent beats be original production but he’s so nice with the sounds he can make it sound like a sample. Like Thowy’s Revenge or even Daddy Kane on this album

 

[Heavy_Handz]

Yep. That’s why he’s a dope producer. At the risk of being stating the obvious, he’s a producer first and a beat maker second. His projects with artists aren’t beat tapes with vocals on them. Benny’s a super street rapper and those beats on TT4 are super hard and aggressive street joints. Currensy is a lifestyle rapper and those beats on Continuance are smokey, cool, and vibrant. Roc is on some slick hitman pimp shyt, known for quirky unorthodox flows, and the production on Elephant matches that aesthetic.

Alchemist absolutely is a legendary producer and this year alone he has a PLETHORA of ridiculous beats. I have the right to state that his production on this album is not of the caliber of his better productions this year. You’re right, he was always going to go in a different direction for a Roc joint… Alchemist always dope regardless.

 

[Heavy_Handz]

Don't know where I stand on that statement but...Give the homey Statik Selektah his flowers brehs

Damn right!

 

[Funcrusher]

Yep. That’s why he’s a dope producer. At the risk of being stating the obvious, he’s a producer first and a beat maker second. His projects with artists aren’t beat tapes with vocals on them. Benny’s a super street rapper and those beats on TT4 are super hard and aggressive street joints. Currensy is a lifestyle rapper and those beats on Continuance are smokey, cool, and vibrant. Roc is on some slick hitman pimp shyt, known for quirky unorthodox flows, and the production on Elephant matches that aesthetic.

Agreed. I don’t think the production on those albums would’ve worked as well for Roc. Between the Bo albums, TT4, and Continuance, I think Roc would probably sound best over Continuance.

So you agreed twice

 

[yourgod]

Agreed. I don’t think the production on those albums would’ve worked as well for Roc. Between the Bo albums, TT4, and Continuance, I think Roc would probably sound best over Continuance.

I def agree roc would sound great on continuance. Rocs album sound wise almost sounds like an extension of that, or could be a companion piece imo

 

[mobbinfms]

Dunno if I'd say better, but the production on the Billy Woods album is stellar too. Def some Alchemist vibes on there as well. Produced entirely by Preservation, who has worked with Ka and Marci before.

I’ve seen you bigging up this album (you’re big enough to do it) before. I’ll have to check it out. Been hearing about Billy Woods for a while but haven’t checked for him yet.

 

[Piff Perkins]

I love how dynamic the production is. Multiple samples, multiple chops, beats weave in and out and sometimes react to what Roc is saying. It makes the listening process far more interesting than straight loops. One of the issues I had with Mt Marci was how boring the beats were. The loops were like these short bars, and nothing was happening beyond that. Certainly an interesting change in Roc's production style but the entire album being like that was disappointing. Not a bad album of course though.

Gotta give Alch a lot of credit, it's great. This makes me want a Roc/Madlib album now lol.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Alchemist absolutely is a legendary producer and this year alone he has a PLETHORA of ridiculous beats. I have the right to state that his production on this album is not of the caliber of his better productions this year. You’re right, he was always going to go in a different direction for a Roc joint… Alchemist always dope regardless.

I didn’t think I said otherwise or was disagreeing with you? I honestly thought I was replying to someone else. If I had to pick 7 beats of his from 2022 just for a beat CD it’d probably be the 7 he did on Tana Talk 4.

But I think the Elephant beats are more “interesting” if that makes sense. It’s just straight ear candy. And From a technical perspective there’s noting on TT4 that’s as intricately chopped up as JJ Flash. That’s some Dilla Donuts shyt.

 

[Figaro]

Hеrmès blankets, that's a blanket statemеnt
Need more than handkerchief 'cause we covering all the basics
Might yank you out the whip, strip you naked (Get over here)
nikkas comparing MJ to "Weird Al" Yankovic (Huh?)
It's a bytch, ain't it? (bytch, ain't it?)
When the love always outweigh the negative (It do)
I'm on the edge, I'm at the ledge of the clip, break your neck like a breadstick

 

[Zero]

I love how dynamic the production is. Multiple samples, multiple chops, beats weave in and out and sometimes react to what Roc is saying. It makes the listening process far more interesting than straight loops. One of the issues I had with Mt Marci was how boring the beats were. The loops were like these short bars, and nothing was happening beyond that. Certainly an interesting change in Roc's production style but the entire album being like that was disappointing. Not a bad album of course though.

Gotta give Alch a lot of credit, it's great. This makes me want a Roc/Madlib album now lol.

Push a line on the opps 'til the timer pop
I seen a lot as a child, I was traumatized (Help me! )
Now it's monetized, they swore I had Masonic ties
But my eyes only recognize dollar signs

 

[Zero]

Dunno if I'd say better, but the production on the Billy Woods album is stellar too. Def some Alchemist vibes on there as well. Produced entirely by Preservation, who has worked with Ka and Marci before.

Revisited this album last week

Preservation doesn't get enough props imo

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Revisited this album last week

Preservation doesn't get enough props imo

Preservation's dope af

 

[TheDarceKnight]

I love how dynamic the production is. Multiple samples, multiple chops, beats weave in and out and sometimes react to what Roc is saying. It makes the listening process far more interesting than straight loops. One of the issues I had with Mt Marci was how boring the beats were. The loops were like these short bars, and nothing was happening beyond that. Certainly an interesting change in Roc's production style but the entire album being like that was disappointing. Not a bad album of course though.

Gotta give Alch a lot of credit, it's great. This makes me want a Roc/Madlib album now lol.

I want that too. Madlib just dropped an album and I think he's dropping another with MED. He's doing projects with people I like, but man...like you said, someone like Roc, or the Pusha T album, or something with a few higher profile artists would be really dope. Even just on the indie scene.

Agreed on the Mt Marci beats. And then some joints on there barely sounded like music to me at all. I respect the creativity but I was lost in places. This one stands out.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

 

[Supa]

Mad I've only been able to spin this once. This isn't the type of album I want to play a song or two. I gotta go from start to finish.

Loved what I heard and didn't get the criticism I was seeing before listening. Roc is really reminding me of DOOM on this with the out of nowhere rhymes and humor. There's a lot of quotables on here.

Production fits Roc's style so anyone looking for TT4 type beats...why?

One thing that bugged me is I wish they turned Roc's vocals up a little more. Feels like they mixed him like they would on a drumless instrumental. There's drums on here so he needs to be a louder.