One of the things that makes the world of hip hop so exciting is the constant forming (and dissolution) of fresh collaborative groups, many of which end up putting out top-notch albums. MF DOOM and Madlib together made Madvillain. Mos Def and Talib Kweli together made Black Star. Beat maestro J Dilla and Madlib together made Jaylib. The list goes on and on, so much so that it can be difficult to keep up. With that in mind, we introduce you to the next hot shit: Gangrene, a collaboration between Alchemist and Oh No.

First off, let's start by introducing our characters. Alchemist's rise to fame originally came primarily from his attachment to LA-based hip hop group, Dilated Peoples, though he has also been heavily associated with a number of other high-profile MCs and groups, including Mobb Deep, Soul Assassins, and Eminem (for whom he is still the touring DJ). Oh No is an LA-based hip hop artist who seems to be following the system laid out for him by older brother Madlib (or Brother 'Lib, as he is reported to call him), which is to be a hip hop producer first, DJ second, and MC third. With a production work ethic that may someday rival his brother, Oh No has already released several solid beat albums, solo hip hop albums, and collaborations with other like-minded people from the hip hop world.

Their collaboration, Gangrene, seems to have made it's internet debut with the following teaser YouTube video called Gangrene Episode 1, way back in April of '08.

It wasn't for another year that we saw any other activity, when in June of 2009 an epic "Gangrene Mix" of an Alchemist track dropped, featuring a huge roster of highly-regarded underground MCs, including Sean Price, Roc C, Chino XL, and Guilty Simpson, among others.

Just a few weeks later, Gangrene made it's album debut with the raw cut "Under Siege" on Alchemist's last solo offering, Chemical Warfare, as a bonus track. The song continues the trend of combining Alchemist and Oh No's skill as producers with their obvious intention to have a good time, as evidenced by the humorous video that accompanied the track:

Fast forward to one year later, and here we are, summer of 2010. Many had dismissed the two's collaboration as an in-between joke project, but that's clearly not the case, as confirmed by the leak of what has been clarified to be the leading single from their upcoming release, Gutter Water. The song is "Chain Swinging," and it's easily their best offering yet (and we've got it available for download below). The album is set to drop in full on October 12th on Decon Records, and we can only hope a few more tracks sneak their way to our ears before that date.

Gutter Water Official Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Boss Shit (Cuts by DJ Romes)
3. Not High Enough
4. Gutter Water ft Raekwon
5. Get Into Some Gangster Shit ft Planet Asia
6. Take Drugs
7. Chain Swinging (Cuts by DJ Romes)
8. Wassup Wassup ft Fashawn and Evidence
9. All Bad (Cuts by DJ Romes)
10. Breathing Down Yo Neck ft MED
11. From Another Orbit ft Roc C
12. Ransom
13. Standing In The Shadows
14. Brass Knuckle Rap ft Guilty Simpson
15. Not Leaving ft Big Twins