In the past decade or so, Roc Marciano and the Alchemist have been two of the most influential forces in underground rap. Roc Marci and Alchemist are both lifers, and they both have a style that rewards deep concentration — hazy and sample-heavy boom-bap, misty atmosphere, production that forces you to pay attention to the rapping. It only seems right that the two of them would come together for a collaborative album.

Roc Marciano usually produces his own albums, and he sometimes produces full albums for other rappers, as well. But that’s not always the case. In 2018, Roc Marci and Cypress Hill legend DJ Muggs released the album Kaos. Muggs happens to be Alchemist’s mentor. In recent years, Alchemist has produced stunning full albums for artists like Freddie Gibbs, Boldy James, and Armand Hammer. Today, we get to hear The Elephant Man’s Bones, a full album of Roc Marci rapping over Alchemist beats.

The Elephant Man’s Bones unsurprisingly reveals that Roc Marciano and Alchemist make perfect sense together. Marci sounds perfectly at home on Alchemist’s woozy beats, and the album finds the two of them pushing their styles, getting looser and more freeform with it. We’ve already heard the early track “Deja Vu,” and the album also features verses from Action Bronson, Boldy James, and Knowledge The Pirate, as well as a non-rapping from Ice-T. Great record. Stream it below.

The Elephant Man’s Bones is out 8/26 on ALC/Marci Enterprises/Empire.