Dillon & Paten Locke: Food Chain

Food Chain is a musical apotheosis for Atlanta rapper, DJ, and producer Dillon Vaughan Maurer and Jacksonville, Fla., cohort Paten Locke. The second serving from these Southern rap underdogs ignores modern hip-hop’s clichés by employing an opulent musical canvas in barn burners such as “Sound the Alarm” and “Fall Back” featuring Boog Brown. The modern Native Tongues nod in “Humdinger,” featuring Supa Dave West and Black Sheep Dres, gives humor and depth equal gravitas over Dillon’s brusque voice. Alexa Lima classes up “Modern Man’s Waltz” with an elegant piano line, and Tone Tank and Homeboy Sandman bring a Brooklyn/Queens drawl to “Hamsammich.” These cameos culminate with a smooth, day-in-the-life album, finely produced by Locke, who creates a vivid and contemporary post-boom bap touchstone for 2016. ★★★★☆

The vinyl, cassettes, and double CDs are due out in March. Downloads are available now with pre-orders.