Danger Mouse & Black Thought join forces to create new album Cheat Codes which will release on August 12 from BMG. Rumors of the project have been circulating for years with potential titles such as Dangerous Thoughts thrown around. In an announcement on May 11, the groups announced this new album which is set to be the first hip-hop work from Danger Mouse.
The first release “No Gold Teeth” is available now and the statement describes, “Danger Mouse’s soulful, freewheeling music [that] serves as the perfect setting for Black Though’s metronomic pin-sharp and chorus-free lyrical deluge, giving listeners a thrilling glimpse of what’s in store from the album.”
“No Gold Teeth” was released alongside its music video directed by UNCANNY, run by George Muncey and Elliot Elder. The video offers a simple yet mesmerizing video to accompany the rhythm of the song. It features Black Thought performing with a small square video blocking his face and showing a morphing screen of various animals, people and items.
Danger Mouse collaborated with Martina Topley-Bird throughout her nearly 3-decade long career. And in 2020, Black Thought announced his group with Elvis Costello, DJ Premier and T-Bone Burnett named Dopamine. Danger Mouse and Black Thought also are multiple Grammy-winning artists bringing their own unique abilities to the table. Since then, both artists have decided to work together to create something truly unique in “No Gold Teeth” and fans can expect the rest of the album to match this first release.
“Meticulously built over several years, Cheat Codes finds Burton taking widescreen, soul-infused hip-hop soundscapes to new heights, whilst Black Thought’s incredible lyricism, razor-sharp rapping and raw hunger are somehow more commanding and thrilling than ever,” the press statement reads It’s this unique alchemy and ability to raise each other’s game that makes Cheat Codes more than just the sum of its parts, and much more than typical producer-meets-rapper arrangement or side project.”
The full tracklist is:
01 Sometimes
02 Cheat Codes
03 The Darkest Part (feat. Raekwon & Kid Sister)
04 No Gold Teeth
05 Because (feat. Joey Bada$$, Russ & Dylan Cartilidge)
06 Belize (feat. MF DOOM)
07 Aquamarine (feat. Michael Kiwanuka)
08 Identical Deaths
09 Strangers (feat. A$AP Rocky & Run The Jewels)
10 Close to Famous
11 Saltwater (feat. Conway the Machine)
12 Voilas & Lupitas