Cheat Codes
by Danger Mouse
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 47 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 47
  3. Negative: 3 out of 47
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  1. thelifeofahmed
    Aug 12, 2022
    9
    Possibly one of the greatest Hip-Hop Album I've ever heard. The production is obviously incredible and Black Thought's pen game is pretty wild.
  2. JVesey
    Aug 13, 2022
    9
    Black thought and danger mouse finally release this album. It was worth the wait!
  3. EvanKilter
    Aug 16, 2022
    9
    This album is an insane listen. Danger Mouse is on a different level through out the entire album. Black Thought is right on the money and this is an album too look out for.
  4. JulesMar
    Aug 16, 2022
    10
    This album is a breath of fresh air in the hip-hop genre right now. Danger Mouse's funky beats mix perfectly with Black Thought's flow. I also really enjoyed the guest appearances.
    Bottom line is this: if you're tired of the same auto-tuned mumble rap stuff that is out there, and want to hear some REAL hip-hop, then this album will deliver ten times over.
  5. storrey
    Aug 24, 2022
    10
    Great album! These guys did a great collab. Awesome beats by Dangermouse and nice flow from Black Thought. The guests are enpointe as well. Aquamarine is the standout for me. Gold Teeth is great as well.
  6. MusicGuyMack
    Sep 16, 2022
    8
    The infectiously funky, soulful groove that the record quickly settles into and a host of excellent all-star guest appearances keep "Cheat Codes" imminently listenable throughout, but the consistent outshining of Black Thought's serviceable yet unremarkable flows by Danger Mouse's stellar production and the heavy frontloading of standout tracks onto the first half sadly ultimately hold theThe infectiously funky, soulful groove that the record quickly settles into and a host of excellent all-star guest appearances keep "Cheat Codes" imminently listenable throughout, but the consistent outshining of Black Thought's serviceable yet unremarkable flows by Danger Mouse's stellar production and the heavy frontloading of standout tracks onto the first half sadly ultimately hold the album back from being all that it could be.

    Choice Cuts: "Sometimes," "The Darkest Part [feat. Raekwon and Kid Sister]," "Because [feat. Joey Bada$$, Russ and Dylan Cartlidge]," "Belize [feat. MF Doom]"    … Expand
  7. Pokeyplays
    Apr 17, 2023
    10
    Creative and unique editing with fantastic lyrics and flows there is not a low point on this entire album.
  8. leumassregor
    Dec 26, 2022
    8
    Lyrically brilliant rapper Black Thought & songwriter/producer Danger Mouse come together for a heavenly project with solid features to top it off.

    This album was what I expected going into it: classy almost old-school-sounding rap flows, punchy beats, and aggressive vocal performances. It might not have surprised me, but it was a satisfying listen. The album has a solid start with the    Lyrically brilliant rapper Black Thought & songwriter/producer Danger Mouse come together for a heavenly project with solid features to top it off.

    This album was what I expected going into it: classy almost old-school-sounding rap flows, punchy beats, and aggressive vocal performances. It might not have surprised me, but it was a satisfying listen. The album has a solid start with the classy-sounding, almost soothing intro track "Sometimes". The following title track, "Cheat Codes" has a very punchy-sounding beat with a great flow. This track contains powerful songwriting as well, like "Blackness is not a monolith", and great rhymes like "Pay the price, gamble with ya life like Pete Rose / Bust a move, paper bubble like Veuve Clicquot's / Who got the streets of Philly flooded like Puerto Rico's?". The vocals on "The Darkest Part" are very raw-sounding, which I'm hoping is on purpose (it sounds like it is) due to it fitting the aesthetic of the grimy production on the track so well. Kid Sister also has a solid little vocal feature in the track. "No Gold Teeth" is one of the best tracks on the project. I love the plucky strings as well as the deep bassline; it just hits you straight in the soul. This track seamlessly seems to transition into "Because", a track that starts off with a wonderful melody that eases into Black Thought's calm yet aggressive rapping. Joey Badass was a wonderful feature choice on this track. His vocals fit the beat incredibly well and on top of that, his verse is written so well.

    "Belize", the track featuring a posthumous verse from rap legend MF DOOM, is also a solid feature. Although the quality of DOOM's vocals isn't the strongest (they sound as if they were slowed down?), his verse addressing racism is extremely well written. "Aquamarine" follows with once again a strong melodic intro from Michael Kiwanuka. I feel like the best way to describe the production on this track is "beautifully snoozy"; the beat is calming but is meshed with Michael's gorgeous breathy vocals and Black Thought's lyrical delivery, keeping you awake and aware through every second of the track.

    "Identical Deaths" for me is a meh track. It's nothing special; it has a solid beat but contains the same vocals/flow as the previous tracks. The same somewhat goes for the track "Strangers". A$AP Rocky's vocals are weirdly mixed into the track, sounding a bit too low quality. El-P's aggressive delivery is great to listen to, and the track contains clever songwriting and idioms like "waitin' for that other shoe to drop". The track "Close to Famous" has a solid all-around message and flow, but sounds unsatisfying and bland to the ears.

    The final two tracks on the album are wonderful. **** contains a great intro and Conway meshes really well with Black Thought on this track. The closing track "Violas and Lupitas" is short and sweet, with a hypnotic beat and gorgeous strings.

    This album is an all-around eargasmic hip-hop masterclass with carefully chosen features, raw, emotional, aggressive vocal deliveries, and solid songwriting.    … Expand
  9. Bruhs
    Aug 25, 2022
    9
    This is a fantastic album. This album is giving of old-school Hip-Hop vibes, with Danger Mouse incredible beats, samples and Black Though 's insane bars and flow. Overall its a great album from top to toe.
  10. Qazasdr
    Sep 24, 2022
    8
    I love this album. Black Thought is an amazing rapper, and he really came through with this release. It has its ups and downs, sure, but it was great overall.
  11. Almalik
    Dec 8, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For all Gang Bangers with consciousness. Don’t miss this album. Black Thought, Danger-mouse, ASAP Rocky and Run the Jewels. This is the benchmark for rap in 2022. A new definition of rap.… Expand
  12. bleet2023
    Mar 21, 2023
    10
    This is the second best album I ever heard. To be honest–-both the first time I heard it and now, I still don’t understand most of the lyrics due to the abstract(at least to me) concepts and the big words I do not know. But that’s not a negative, hopefully as I get older and grow, the lyrics will come to me. I do catch some of the more obvious lines though “philly PA, we've been gettingThis is the second best album I ever heard. To be honest–-both the first time I heard it and now, I still don’t understand most of the lyrics due to the abstract(at least to me) concepts and the big words I do not know. But that’s not a negative, hopefully as I get older and grow, the lyrics will come to me. I do catch some of the more obvious lines though “philly PA, we've been getting ours the Brody way.” or “Kill ish quicker than Usain can run a hundred meters.” Or “There’s a warrant for your arrest by the karma police.” Examples of concepts that I thought were dope. The production is out of this world, although I like the more soulful instrumental tracks than the rougher ones, but being that I said this is the second best album I ever heard, all the songs are great. The flows in every track are crazy.

    Aquamarine is my favorite track on the album, closely followed by identical deaths, because, violas and lupitas .    … Expand
  13. Jetcer
    Mar 31, 2023
    7
    It's not a perfect album, but damn it's great. I love black thoughts rapping style and flow, a real OG. Also, Danger Mouse's production is on point on this album. He really made the beats that fit black thoughts style. There are not that many features on the album but where there are, they fit in perfectly. Didn't think asap Rocky would match so well with this. I love it, my favourite songIt's not a perfect album, but damn it's great. I love black thoughts rapping style and flow, a real OG. Also, Danger Mouse's production is on point on this album. He really made the beats that fit black thoughts style. There are not that many features on the album but where there are, they fit in perfectly. Didn't think asap Rocky would match so well with this. I love it, my favourite song is "Because" the sample is amazing and love the verses. All together a well and fantastically put together album… Expand
  14. ChiIIaoi
    Jul 19, 2023
    9
    Review só pra lembrar a nota que eu dei pro album:
    album mt bom, agora só escrever pra passar dos 75 caracteres.

Awards & Rankings

61
#61 Most Discussed Album of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. RapReviews.com
    Aug 23, 2022
    90
    There are those who employ cheat codes just for the hell of it. Lyrically and musically, Black Thought and Danger Mouse used theirs here to get one up on their peers in their respective mediums.
    Read full review
  2. AllMusic
    Aug 19, 2022
    90
    Some stellar outside contributions notwithstanding, Cheat Codes stimulates most when Mouse and Thought are sequestered, allowing the latter to leave space only for the occasional instrumental break or rare prominent sampled vocal.
    Read full review
  3. The Wire
    Aug 17, 2022
    60
    Danger Mouse constructs decorative, melodic beats that don’t really bang, resulting in a hazy, slightly funky and psychedelic quality reminiscent of late 1960s pop. ... It’s frustrating to see him [Black Thought] shut off that aspect of his creativity in favour of “bars as hard as Angola’s”. ... Cheat Codes is compelling enough, but one wonders where it’s all going. [Sep 2022, p.42]
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