On Danger Mouse and Black Thought’s new collaboration, Cheat Codes, they bring in a bunch of gifted friends — A$AP Rocky, Run the Jewels, Michael Kiwanuka, and the departed MF DOOM.

But the true star is the Roots’ main mic controller Black Thought. He’s an artist who has been crafting rhymes since the ‘90s, and is so consistently good that it seems inevitable that he’s underrated.

Danger Mouse’s samples and beats on Cheat Codes are somehow classic and innovative at the same time. This is a showcase of masters playing at their own level. They may have named the album Cheat Codes, but they aren’t skipping any levels – this is the sort of album that only comes from putting in the time and effort to flow this flawlessly.