The 50x50s is the Connecticut duo consisting of emcee Sketch tha cataclysm and producer Deto 22. The two first linked up over a decade ago, and they’ve been returning the project periodically since then, usually in the form of shorter, intense releases. Their most recent collaboration came last summer, when they teamed up with CrissB.Amazing to release the two-song project, Peace & Second Wind. Now they are back as a duo with a three-song EP, Chrímata.

If you’re going to release a three-song EP, you need to make every second count. There can be no wasted space if you want people to pay attention to it and not just make it feel like a filler release. Fortunately, in the case of Chrímata, Sketch and Deto are veteran artists who are well aware of this, and by reputation you can be certain that they are only releasing their very best material to make sure it counts. For this particular project, we’re getting three songs revolving around the theme of money. The opening track, “Ex Uno Multi,” is a skillful look at the trappings of capitalism, never getting too preachy, but instead having you walk in the shoes of multiple characters as they try to survive and eke out a living, featuring the poignant chorus:

“Let us pray/Don’t believe then let us say/Proclaim/An empty pocket’s just a call for change/No fist that strikes the hull is ever sinking what’s contained/So even if we lose the war we’ll fight another day”

From there, we get “The Speed at Which Things Break,” featuring Defcee and M-Tri, which takes a look at how quick money can come and go, and how we sell people on the idea of getting rich quick and all the trappings that comes with. Finally, we close out with “Ten Cent Stench,” featuring KDollaz. This song issues a challenge, asking the question, “Money - when’s the last you tried to live a day with a positive outcome without it by your side?” While Sketch and guests are doing all this great lyrical work that is just giving you all sorts of substance about money and capitalism to think on, Deto is subtly dropping some really cool and inventive beats that match the tone perfectly. He finds room to add all of these interesting flourishes and keeps everything in motion, but he also manages to do all of this while allowing those on the mic to shine. It’s only when you go back and listen to the EP and second and third time do you really appreciate all of the flavor that Deto is adding to the project.

The 50x50s have been at this for a minute, both as a duo and as individual artists, and you know that when they release something, they’ve really put in the work to make sure that it is up to their own high standards. With Chrímata, they once again give us a short project that packs a bigger punch than most artists full-length albums that have dropped this year.