Havoc & the Alchemist Maintain a Laid-Back Groove & Hurt Some Feelings (Audio)

As a producer, Queens, New York producer Havoc has earned more than enough stripes to warrant him consideration as one of the most influential, thanks in no small part to his work on the boards as one half of Mobb Deep. His rhyming skills are also celebrated, and he’s got four solo albums under his belt which showcase his dexterity behind the scenes and on the mic, beginning with 2007’s The Kush. However, he’s been known to collaborate with beatmakers like DJ Premier, Large Professor, Statik Selektah, Scott Storch, and Q-Tip, both in his own career and that which he shares with Prodigy. But not all of his collaborations have been of the East Coast ilk – Havoc’s most enduring rapport with a fellow producer is one he forged in 1999 with Los Angeles beatmaker the Alchemist, who first worked with Mobb Deep on Murda Muzik. The two have announced a collaborative LP to be released in May, and Heads have been gifted with “Maintain (Fuck How You Feel)” for a first taste.

The song plays like a smoothed-out nod to a former era, namely the ’70s when films about gangsters and pimps met head on with the stylings of artists like Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes. Much like Curren$y’s recent Alchemist-produced “The Mack Book,” “Maintain” places the MC in the driver’s seat of a tale that, despite being delivered in a slow, methodical fashion, is far from lethargic. The Silent Partner officially arrives May 20 via Babygrande Records, and is available for pre-order now on iTunes.

Related: This Mobb Deep “Infamous”-Themed Mix Celebrates Havoc’s Visionary Sampling