This is the fifth studio LP & Rhymesayers Entertainment debut from Queens, NY emcee/producer Elucid. Over the past 20 years, he has made a name for himself, whether it’s self-releasing 10 mixtapes and 2 EPs, or being 1/2 of abstract duo Armand Hammer. His full-length solo debut album Save Yourself was released in the spring of 2016, followed by I Told Bessie and Revelator & Interference Pattern supported by Fat Possum Records. Given that two of 2025’s most notable albums, Golliwog & Mercy, were released by Rhymesayers, it was only a matter of time before I Guess U Had to Be There was dropped, and my expectations were raised upon learning that Sebb Bash was fully committed to producing the album.
“First Light” kicks off the rollout with this drumless, abstract lead single about peasant times, while “Cantana” works over some peppy piano and a soul sample that, besides being on his eighth life, wants to be far from the fuck alone. “Hands n Feet,” featuring Estee Nack, finds the duo leaning into hardcore’s boom-bap vibe, which they believe will draw more attention to the bars than Israeli drones, but then “Make Me Wise” again strips away the drum beats, describing the government pairing propaganda with pie in the face, which isn’t entirely wrong with the drone line from the previous song.
My favorite track here is easily “Conspeak,” which goes from abstractly conscious lyricism to experimental evil and drumless loops, and just when “Equiano” reaches the midpoint, the drums come back while turning on the psychedelic sound and telling it straight out what it’s about. Armand Hammer reunited for their third and final single, “The Lorax,” returning to a booming beat that also included references to the infamous Malice at Palace brawl that happened when I was about to turn 8, while Breeze Brewin’s “Fainting Goats” skipped over this drumless chipmunk soul beat, talking about their move to reiterate that no one was harder than theirs.
“I Say Self” comes in at number three in sinisterly dark fashion, deftly talking about his refusal to put pigs before himself, while “Visitation Place” veers in a psychedelic direction, with rhythms tearing apart the man who should be doing more but isn’t, seeing in their eyes how meaningless it all is when he can’t either. “Alive Herbals” is a horrifying take on stuffing his shoes with money and painting it blue, while “Parental Advisory” closes the album with some drumless psychedelic rock that wonders if his gun will wake anyone up.
Receiving a huge co-sign from one of my top ten producers on The Alchemist, calling him “his favorite producer today,” Sebb Bash confirmed this by surpassing Revelator with Elucid as the greatest work in his entire solo catalog, and continues to ring in this generation’s show studio since signing a deal with Rhymesayers Entertainment last spring. His sense of abstraction and hardcore lyricism have always been evolving, with Sebb creating his greatest work around drumless, boom bap, psychedelic and chipmunk soul.
Rating: 9/10
