The Clubhouse – Live at the Clubhouse Vol.1, EP.

The highlight from this project is “In” featuring Blu, Freddie Gibbs, and Homeboy Sandman, a song so overloaded with mismatched talent that it shouldn’t work. It seems like an obvious ploy: grab the most buzzing artists who respond to your emails and throw them on a song together, no matter how musically distant they are. See Consequence’s ill-conceived track with Roc Marciano and Kendrick Lamar — total waste of talent.

But “In” unites the trio under the banner of raw lyricism. That’s the common thread, after all; Blu, Gibbs, and Boy Sand are all whirlwind rhymers. The only drawback is that they sacrifice some individuality to find a common ground. Freddie and Boy Sand can’t be as gangster or quirky as usual and still mesh. Regardless, it’s a dream lineup. The rest of the EP is dope too.