In 2020, the Alchemist, the veteran rap producer, made two of the year’s best albums with different rappers: Alfredo with Freddie Gibbs and The Price Of Tea In China with Boldy James. In 2021, the Alchemist has already teamed up with Armand Hammer on the great Haram. And now the Alchemist is getting ready to release a guest-heavy EP of his own.

Next week, the Alchemist will release his This Thing Of Ours EP, which will feature collaborations with Boldy James, Pink Siifu, Maxo, and Sideshow. Lead single “Nobles” features longtime Alchemist collaborator Earl Sweatshirt and rapper/producer/pro skater Navy Blue. Rather than taking separate verses, the two rappers toss lines back and forth, intricately interweaving their voices. The track is a gorgeous piece of string-chopping boom-bap, and it features a sample from The Neverending Story. Listen below.

In related news, yesterday brought the news that Navy Blue is teaming up with the New York underground rapper AKAI SOLO on a forthcoming collaborative album called True Sky. AKAI SOLO raps on first single “Incursio Fur,” and Navy Blue produced it. Here’s the video:

The Alchemist’s self-released This Thing Of Ours EP is out 4/30. AKAI SOLO and Navy Blue’s True Sky is out 5/13 on Break All Records/Freedom Sounds.