In April of 2017, we got the debut EP from a new group called The TroubleShooters. The duo, featuring Mikal kHill and int eighty, had been friends for years and worked together here and there over the years, but after exchanging emails and sharing ideas online, eventually int eighty took a trip to kHill’s home studio and they knocked out the songs for the EP, Lead Time. As to be expected, the two artists soon got swept up in different projects and life in general (as well as a global pandemic), but in 2022, they finally got back on the same page and started to work on their first album as duo in earnest. This time kHill went to Austin, and in a marathon session, they knocked out their debut full-length album, Production.

Both kHill and int eighty come from the world of Nerdcore, but in 2023, that label can mean a lot of different things to different people. In the case of these two artists, the “nerd” part of their hip hop comes through in their lyricism as emcees that happen to be nerds that work with computers, not so much through their production or any other part of their aesthetics. What they are really nerdy about, though, is hip hop itself, and that’s what comes through time and again when you’re listening to Production. These are two artists who really love the artform, and they got together over these shared influences and approaches to production and rapping. For the album, kHill is handling the production, with an assist from cecilnick, who provides everything from additional production to vocals to bass, guitar, and keys. Together, they are laying down some East Coast boom bap that harkens back to the ‘90s, with an added twist of underground innovation to spice things up here and there. More than anything, this is really just about the chemistry of two artists who are also friends and just absolutely on the same page as to what they want this album to be. It’s also a testament to the magic of physically being in the same room with each other. These days, it’s very cool how technology has allowed artists to connect with each other from all over the globe, and in the case of just doing a guest verse, or maybe just adding an instrumental piece to a song, it generally works pretty well. If you’re going to do a full-length album with two emcees, though, you really get that third heat when they are recording in the same space. That’s because you really get the energy coming through, and you get all of these little pieces that come out of this situation, like adlibs and quick tradeoffs, that just remind you of what’s missing from a lot of hip hop releases these days. It’s not just that both emcees are dope, it’s all of the little things that come out of them bouncing things off of each other and feeding off of that energy. As to the album itself, there aren’t too many songs that are specifically about one thing. Most of the songs might start with a main idea or a hook, and then the two will start rhyming and going off in different directions, but always coming back to the main point. What this means in practical terms is that you get this great mix of shit talking, clever pop culture references and nerdy jokes, but then also these keen social observations and deep personal confessions as well, and you never really know when you’re going to get what. It’s the type of album that you can put on and enjoy, but then as you listen to it, you begin to realize just how much depth and nuance there is to it all, and you just want to run it back and see how much more you catch the next time through.

Production is a testament to the ongoing friendship and collaboration between Mikal kHill and int eighty. It took a while to follow up their initial EP, but when everything finally lined up for them to make an album, they took the time to do it right and put their all into it. The result is an album that is immediately accessible, but then even more fun as you keep listening to it and picking up on all of these little gems that are buried throughout.