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What do you get when you mix a blues, garage band with 11 rappers?  Rap and rock, not that cheesy rap/metal stuff, but real beats with some talented lyrics on top.  The Black Keys paired up with some choice MCs to lay down this album, and if you are a fan of great music, you’ll enjoy this.

Just who did the Ohio-duo join forces with?  Glad you asked: Mos Def, Ludacris, RZA, Pharoahe Monch, Nicole Wray, Raekwon, Jim Jones, Q-Tip, Billy Danze, NOE and ODB.  The latter was a recording with Ludacris rapping along.  The Keys provide all the backing beats and music, while the MCs provide the lyrics to match those beats.

True Keys fans may not like this album, but if you listen to the music, you can hear all the distortion and fuzz of any normal Keys album.  If you happen to find your favorite MC on here, you’ll probably love the whole record.  Each song is different, as the artists add their own touch and tone to make the track stand out.

Choice tracks: “Hard Times”, “Dollaz & Sense”, “What You Do To Me”, “Ain’t Nothing Like You”, “Why Can’t I Forget Him” and “Coochie”.  At times Dan Auerbach provides some backing vocal, but the Keys just stick to what they do best, groove.

This is an unlikely combination, but you have to enjoy the spirit of everyone on this project.  The Keys wanted to make an old school rap album, and they found the perfect set of MCs to help them succeed.  What a lot of people will forget is to keep an open mind about the whole thing.  Recorded in just less than two weeks, the production is raw and wonderful.  Listening for something different?  You found it.