Unrelated, my most anticipated ALC project that I believe could replace Covert Coup as my favorite would be an ALC/Freddie Gibbs tape. Devils Palace is practically ancient, not sure if we'll hear it as it originally was, but a collaborative album between the two of them makes for my most anticipated record of the last 3 years. Agree to disagree if you want, but Gibbs is best out right now. Piñata and SOD, not to mention ESGN among the other great tapes.
Back on topic, I wish Carrollton Heist AND Covert Coup dropped on vinyl. I'd play the records, but they'd also be framed up on the wall.
Probably goes without saying, but seems like a safe bet to say that Alchemist took at least 6-8 of these beats and vetted them out over the last 5 years for Carrollton Heist, knowing damn well that there was a lot riding on anticipation. We all knew about 96 (93) AMG beat from the year old YouTube video with King Los, but to me it seems very very likely that he'd had these around, and maybe would go back to them every now and then to listen to them to see if they were withstanding the test of time. At least, that's what I'm imagining, and I also would say that 6-8 of these will stand the test of time for my own taste. I'll come back to this project in 6 years and still feel the same way about these grooves. Fire.
To that end, ironically, is one reason why I liked Covert Coup more. The Coup project had a spontaneous sound to it. Much more experimentation, more risks, more punchiness, and then the tracks would suddenly fade out.
Lightning in a bottle.