El Michels Affair & Black Thought treat us to an unstoppable new 45. Pulling two standout tunes from their forthcoming Glorious Game record.
The A side features the album’s title track “Glorious Game”, a bouncy, in the pocket tune that lands somewhere between G Funk and Outkast’s Spottieottiedopealicious. Black Thought raps about trials of fame and respect but also being the best version of oneself while balanced by patience. KIRBY jumps in on the chorus with her distinct voice and luscious melodies putting the song comfortably at home in the speakers of a Cadillac.
The B Side “Grateful” is a thick, low-end banger with a haunting flute line, and a sample of Shabba Ranks “Ting-A-Ling” that sends the message that class is in session. Black Thought’s verses lay heavy in the way we’ve come to love: cadences that walk a line between street teacher and poet, explanation and experience. He pays homage to what’s come before him and how it’s made him with lines like “I guess the moral of the story is, any sip you pour me is, a toast to the warriors who bit the dust before me, kid.” Die hard fans may also recognize the instrumental from the late great Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton 2022 Fashion Show video.
