Two stoned-out soul brothers reunite to relinquish the retro sound back into the airwaves, paying homage to a sound that dominated an entire coast.
Jay Worthy and Harry Fraud have been keeping busy over the past few years. The two mellowed-out artists have been pumping out tons of new material, keeping the underground fed with each potent release. Their first collaboration, Eat When You’re Hungry Sleep When You’re Tired, was a 7-track EP that garnered cult-like success based on the perfect blend of both artist’s styles. Now the underground power duo is back with another offering, keeping the up-tempo energy until their next encounter.
You’ll Take the Credit, We’ll Take the Check serves as a continuation to the pair’s first collaboration, building upon the laxed foundation laced in dreary rhymes and chilled beats.
This record possess the same feel as its predecessor, but features some major changes. Whereas the first project embraced a late-night hype aura, this album adopted the same laxed feel for it base, but upped the tempo for a backyard bash type of feel. A stacked roster of features helps keep the party going, adding different flavors to each track and keeping the experience fresh. A variety of characters stop by to contribute verses; from Larry June and Curren$y to Conway the Machine and Big Body Bes, this project keeps the celebration alive through its entire runtime.
As far as individual performance goes, Worthy does a great job of balancing his energy throughout the track list. While the bulk of the project finds Worthy engaging with fellow friends and collaborators, the LA native manages to stand on his own two feet with his signature slow flow and lounging lyrics. Solo standouts like “Tonight” & “Monday Motivation” exhibit Worthy’s unique lyricism composed of lifestyle raps.
The Compton emcee finds his rhymes laced in the lush production provided by Harry Fraud, who took on the task of providing all the beats for this project. The retro-sounding approach that Fraud went for on the production is reminiscent of early West Coast hip-hop, sprinkling dashes of g-funk instrumentals and drum less loops to stay in character. The union of the two naturally contradictive styles shines bright as a soulful loop like “Pacific Coast Highway” is able to effortlessly blend into the upbeat “Good Lookin’” while still maintaining a cohesive composure.
Admittedly, the album doesn’t have a lot to unpack – aside from surface level details such as features and production – but a record of this caliber performs its best when all details are easily accessible. That being said, a dreary-flowed approach like Worthy’s isn’t the easiest style to get a grip on – especially if you’re not from the West Coast – but the Compton native makes it clear that no matter how the record performs statistically, he will always provide that heat and his core will always be satisfied. Essentially, it all bottles down to the phrase “if you know, you know;” and for those who don’t know, this record will help you get familiar.
Worthy and Fraud did an excellent job of adding another jewel to their individual catalogs, with this album being some of their finest work to date. You’ll Take the Credit, We’ll Take the Check is an essential listen and a perfect release for closing out the summer season.
8 / 10
Best tracks: “Pacific Coast Highway”, “Editorials”, “Almighty”, “Good Lookin’”, “Winnipeg Winters”, “Helicopter Homicide”
