Everything's Fine

Released

It’s not quite “what if Run the Jewels was a married couple,” but the teaming of veteran artists Jean Grae and Quelle Chris did result in a perfect meeting of sardonically intelligent, often flat-out absurdist rapper-producers in the habit of turning to laughter only because screaming’s harder on the voicebox. The big comedy names (Nick Offerman, John Hodgman, Hannibal Buress) don’t distract from the headliners’ own wits, balancing show-and-prove style-minded lyricism with the kind of suckerpunchlines that prove how much of this shit comes from a place of genuine frustration — with cornball influencers (“My Contribution to This Scam”), the panopticon of undying old stereotypes (“Gold Purple Orange”), the racist police state (“Breakfast of Champions”), and *gestures around wildly* (“Peacock”).

Nate Patrin