The name "Lord Steppington" along with the ornately designed velvet cover art gives the impression of a couple of rappers trying to make their project appear more important than it really is. However, that's rarely the case with these two. Throughout the fourteen tracks, there's rarely a moment where a listener would feel of inferior intelligence. The only time I can imagine someone feeling out place is throughout the numerous obscure references both artists fill each of their verses with. That's all from the groups's chemistry, though. On top of their Dilated Peoples collaborations, Alchemist and Evidence share an undeniable bond of two white artists trying to gain credibility in the genre. The two are able to bounce ideas off one another, creating a vernacular only a certain type of hip hop fan can fully decode. Both artists have drawn influences from almost every sub-genre that they've stepped into. Its sort of like a big inside joke. Confusing on the surface, but all the more gratifying when fully realized.
That only applies to someone really reaching for a deeper meaning, though. Lord Steppington is enjoyable on several levels. Alchemist's beats are always interesting, but he usually steps it up a level when paired with a single artist for an entire project. This is no exception. Most of his compositions sound tailor-made for Evidence and the many guest appearances. That ultimately becomes a detriment towards the last few tracks, as the they begin to blend together, but it still gives the album a fairly cohesive feel. As an added bonus, Lord Steppington wastes no time letting the listener know what they're in for throughout the next hour. "More Wins", the albums opener, is a fucking banger. Evidence rips shit on his verse, while Alchemist impresses behind the boards. The production is typically epic, running an intense loop for a majority, before really mixing things up in between verses with a Big Daddy Kane vocal sample. Another thing that really struck me is how much more comfortable Alchemist sounds on the mic. He never really outshines his competition, but he at least appears to be in the same ball park.
Not every track clicks, but some of the album's best moments show juxtaposition at its finest. "Step Masters", the lead single, features an intense instrumental that could easily be played while mean mugging someone while driving in the 1970 Camaro you borrowed from your strange, but oddly cool uncle. On the flip side, the lyrics are pretty playful and the video is down right hysterical. The fact that the two are able to duplicate this multiple times without becoming stale is all the more impressive. Still, the album's strongest elements comes from its stacked guest list. Action Bronson, Styles P, and Oh No conduct business as usual, Evidence reunites with his Dilated Peoples co-member Rakaa on "Tomorrow", but two of the best verses come at the hands on Fashawn and, surprisingly enough, Domo Genesis. My distaste for Domo is well documented, but he delivers on "Byron G" with what is undoubtably the best verse of his career. The track opens and ends with a vocal sample from none other than Kanye West, as the rapping plays off the words of Mr. West. Its a pretty awesome song. The only guest appearance that rivals it is "See the Rich Man Play", a collaboration with Roc Marciano. He flawlessly plays a gambling man in one of the only conceptual songs on the album. His performance is among the most gripping I've heard this year.
These songs are all enjoyable and make Lord Steppington move by quickly as the artists effortlessly change scenery. The one moment that the lightheartedness halts comes on the albums centerpiece, "Swimteam Rastas." The beat almost gives off the feeling of meditation, as Alchemist obviously wants you to intensely listen to a dialed-in Evidence. He gives his point of view in regards to living a life of a hip hop artist. On the contrast, the beat also gives off melodies that wouldn't be completely out of place on Cam'ron's Purple Haze. All that juxtaposition shit popping up again.
The more serious songs are sequenced fine throughout the album and offer a nice change of pace. Not to take anything away from Lord Steppington, but I'd be really curious to see if Alchemist could carry an entire album worth of heavy, conceptual tracks. His first effort of 2014 is a worthy entree into the remarkably solid catalogues of both artist, but the album's highest moments show album of the year quality. Lord Steppington isn't an album that is meant to be taken all that serious, and you shouldn't. The fun and creative atmosphere both artists generate can be appreciated by almost all listeners. Still, if Alchemist and Evidence ever want to create an entire album of heavier songs, I'll be the first to listen.
Rating: 3.5/5