by Justin Davis (@AnkhDeLillo)
300 miles north of Los Angeles, California’s Death Valley has earned a reputation as a land of extremes: home to both the lowest point in North America and the highest temperature recorded anywhere on earth. In some ways, the hottest, driest place on the American mainland is a fitting reference point for prolific Los Angeles beatmaker DJ Muggs — whose trademark production style is frequently dust-filled and eerie, with little room for frills. That approach is on full display throughout Muggs’ latest project, Soul Assassins 3: Death Valley, a new installment in his decades-long series of region-hopping rap showcases.
Muggs is a prolific (and often underrated) producer, a member of legendary West Coast group Cypress Hill who’s cultivated a strong catalog beside them. Just within the past five years, he’s helmed standout collab albums with Roc Marciano, Mach-Hommy, and this year’s Champagne for Breakfast with Madlib and Meyhem Lauren. Even at their most lush, contemporary Muggs beats are often deceptively intricate, pairing familiar set pieces of left-field 90s hip-hop with discordant harmonies or oddball instrumental flourishes. Like his contemporaries Alchemist and Madlib, Muggs also grounds much of his work in collaboration, adapting his typical set pieces to bring out a rapper’s unique inner world. In that spirit, Soul Assassins 3 calls on a wide range of familiar and unexpected guests: from grizzled veterans like Slick Rick, Scarface, and Devin the Dude, to some of the underground’s current best and brightest.
A small roster of recent collaborators show up on multiple tracks here, including Roc Marciano, Jay Worthy, Rome Streetz, and T.F. Boldy James takes on three songs by himself, barring out through lo-fi funk and moody, muted boom bap. On “Where We At” — a highlight named for one of his trademark adlibs — James takes us on a quick jog through a patient soul sample, weaving retrospection and community through Muggs’ fluttering woodwinds, subtle horns and clipped vocal harmonies: “late at night, I repent for my sins / but every day, I pray for Detroit.” Roc Marciano, Rome Streetz, and Meyhem Lauren sound effortless on “67 Keys,” punctuating the track’s cinematic piano riffs with their typical blend of street talk and luxury. Marciano can’t get through talk of silk, suede, watches and multiple phones without reminding us that he “never put out a bad batch of dope”; when Lauren asks, “You think these diamonds just fell out of the sky?,” you can instantly imagine the smirk on his face.
Many of these pairings are designed to show rappers in their comfort zones: like Evidence and Domo Genesis on the stuttering braggadocio of “Burn the Playbook,” but some of the project’s most exciting moments here come when Muggs places rappers from older generations in unexpected contexts. “Dump On Em,” with fellow Cypress Hill member B-Real and former N.W.A. members Ice Cube and MC Ren, features a fat bassline and clattering percussion that makes it feel like a lost West Coast reprisal to A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario.” On “Sicilian Gold,” Wu-Tang’s tongue-twisting surrealist Ghostface Killah stands back-to-back with Griselda frontman Westside Gunn. The two sound natural together over layers of guitar and crisp drums — and Muggs brings Ghostface closer than he’s been in years to his work with live instrumentalists like BADBADNOTGOOD and Adrian Younge.
Soul Assassins 3 is a subtle and approachable reminder of what makes Muggs such a reliable go-to for a broad cross-section of lyricists. Consistency, longevity, adaptability — like Death Valley’s heat, Muggs’ stylistic strengths are built to last.