MUSIC REVIEW: DJ Muggs x Rigz : Gold

The Black Goat is back to shed light on another hip-hop artist shamefully being allowed to fly under the radar. Two artists actually since both Rigz and Mooch have more chemistry on this project as a tag team than Alpha Academy can ever hope to have.

Yes, rappers might be concerned with going platinum and diamond today, but Rigz and Muggs remind listener’s that gold will never lose it’s value.
The record between this DJ/MC duo is aptly titled “Gold”, and both the metaphysical and nomial terms are thoroughly explored as themes alongside drug dealing and other means of survival techniques in large urban areas, specifically the largest in the States : N.Y.C.

“Gold” starts things off with an eponymous track equating cocaine bricks to gold bricks moving on to an instrumental as eerie as the nights where sells get accomplished in “Every Season”. The dreariness gets weighed out as “Supreme” comes in as Rigz makes the comparison between the solidness of gold and the metaphysical body over a slick piano line. Meyhem Lauren makes a guest appearance on “Cook Offs” outshining Rigz on fly talk as expected , but that can be set aside as Rigz rides one of the heaviest drum patterns outside of modern trap music with “What We Got”.

The 80’s breakbeat that sets the tone for “Heads On The Wall” begs for busted cardboard to be revived on the sidewalk with breakdancing as Rome Streetz (sounding deceptively a lot like Tha God Fahim, had to check the credits) drops science over the instrumental with hints of nostalgia.
The main single “Where Your Soul At?” is no soliloquy. Aside from the standout sample work on that record, “We Want In” takes the cake featuring Infamous Mobb’s Big Twins, the stretched out soul sample on par with “What We Got” though it’s completely reliant on that, whereas “What We Got” relies on a bass drop that matches with the end of every couplet put together by Rigz. A very in sync moment for the DJ/MC duo on their album.

Other standouts include, “24K Gold” featuring the bubbling sounds of a filled pot similar to Pete Rock’s “Pyrex Vision” , and a rock duo bigger than Guns N’ Roses consistent of “Eastside Blues” and “Crack The Code” , both filled with dirty guitar licks as the latter brings about a psychedelic atmosphere as Rigz trades bars with Times Change while the former melds the whine of the guitar to sound like the cries from the ghetto citizens that Rigz spends the time to immortalize on the chorus to his poem.

On the heels of “Winter 2”, The Black Goat has decided to yet again heat up the underground like a hellspawn drawn by MacFarlane. “Gold” meets the standard and though heavy on features, will pique the interest of any listener to go and invest their time into Rigz and Da Cloth’s stacked discography, thanks to the melding of their vocals over handpicked eerie avant-garde beats that only The Black Goat could have had a hoof on.

Score : 4/5

GOLD EDITED BY DAVE SAKOLSKY FROM THE ALBUM “GOLD”
PRODUCED BY DJ MUGGS
MIXED BY DJ MUGGS & SAM KINGSTON
MASTERED BY SAM KINGSTON
COPYRIGHT 2022 SOUL ASSASSINS RECORDS

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