Glorious Game by El Michels Affair and Black Thought

Although not the norm, rap music recorded with a live band has a long history: Guru’s Jazzmatazz pioneered the genre, The Roots perfected it, and BadBadNotGood’s feature with Ghostface Killah is now a classic. Glorious Game by Black Thought, of Roots fame, and El Michels Affair, of Enter-the-37th-Chamber fame, fits neatly into that line. It brings together an incredibly talented band, many of who have a staggering track record, first and foremost as members of the Menahan Street Band, Daptone Record’s house band, and an MC at the height of his game. Glorious Game is a fantastic album, laid-back and smooth like an Old Fashioned on a Friday night.