If you followed West Coast hip-hop closely enough, you’d’ve heard a Madlib beat long before the Stones Throw years — at least, assuming you had enough savvy to check for the first three Alkaholiks albums, which featured guest spots from Lootpack years before they concocted their official debut. That even the first pressings of Soundpieces featured a starburst caption reading “ANOTHER MADLIB INVAZION!” should say something about the producer/MC’s rep preceding him, but alongside fellow rapper Wildchild and cut-and-scratch maestro DJ Romes, the ensemble justifies the hype; the blunt(ed) lyricism, left-turn jazz-weirdo sample collages, and quick-cutting 74-minutes-that-feel-like-30 pace make this a repeat-listen must.