New York emcee & songwriter Smoke DZA enlisting Hollywood, California production duo Mike & Keys to produce his 22nd extended play. Starting out over 2 decades ago as 1/2 of Smoke & Numbers, he would eventually go on to achieve a cult following of his own by dropping 7 albums as well as 10 mixtapes & a plethora of EPs along the way. My personal favorites include the sophomore tape George Kush da Button, the Pete Rock-produced 4th album Don’t Smoke Rock & the whole 183rd-produced Ringside EP saga. It’s been a few years since Flying Lotus produced Flying Objects & was more excited for We Outside than some of his latest output.
“Exact Change” featuring Fergie Baby & Kai Ca$h finds the trio calling for everyone to celebrate even if the odds are against your favor but once “Statue of Limitation” featuring Benny the Butcher has both of them trying everything they can to keep the energy, “We Gon’ Be Straight” featuring Big K.R.I.T. hits the midway point of the EP linking up over a soulful boom bap instrumental issuing a promise of everything sorting itself out when it’s all said & done.
Beanie Sigel & Styles P both appear during the soulful “Diamonds Can’t Save You” to discuss the type of shit you don’t typically see on cable television while “1v1 vs. the System” featuring Reuben Vincent brings some keys & horns in the picture so both of them can talk about battling a corrupt governmental regime. “Food for Thought” featuring Bun B & King Chip spends the remaining minutes of We Outside encouraging people to never lose sight of the mission.
As much as I liked the recent collab EPs he did with The Musalini & Memphis Bleek earlier this year Uptown Saturday Night & Trees Open Doors, I do find We Outside to be a step above the likes of On My Way to Berlin or Road Trip to Amsterdam because of Smoke DZA’s socially conscious lyricism over Mike & Keys’ production ahead of the midterms 24 hours from now. I certainly wasn’t expecting a guest on every single song either.
Score: 8/10