Canadian underground rap legends Noah23 and Fresh Kils combine their talents for the first time with this collaborative album, Tuff Racket. Fresh Kils, a Juno-nominated producer and master of the MPC, offers up a wide selection of quirky beats that runs the gamut from the jazzy Digable Planets sound of "Jazz Man," featuring Peter Scherzinger on trumpet, to the dark, Griselda-style boom bap of "Banana Bread." The meticulous attention to detail in these beats is evident. And with such a spectacular soundtrack, Noah23 can bring no less than his best. His clear, slow delivery makes his abstract lyrics, poetic lines and smart punchlines easier to understand, whether the subject of the song is politics, the music business, or his highbrow stoner raps. Heavy on features, each of Noah's handpicked selection of guests-D-Sisive, Emerson Corleone, Ben Buck, Birdapres, Tachichi, PremRock, Shark, and Lee Reed-enhances the album with their complementary contributions. And the precise, punchy cuts of DJ Vektrx adds an extra potency whenever they pop up. Tuff Racket isn't just a collection of songs, but a concise, considered album that sits confidently alongside the very best in either collaborator's catalogue.