The outspoken, openly communist The Coup did not produce their sixth album, Sorry to Bother You, with easy-listening in mind. Rather than concerning themselves with typical hip-hop mainstays like money and women, The Coup use music to disseminate ideology

The album keeps its distance  from the over-produced hits often popular today, and offers a refreshing escape from mainstream radio. Sorry to Bother You doesn’t stick to conventional ideas of rap. The Coup’s front man and producer, Boots Riley, chose unusual instrumentation to vary the band’s genre-blending pieces. The album has a wide variety of musical contributors as well, from instrumentalists to groups like Das Racist.

“The Magic Clap” uses a signature clapping rhythm to drive speedy lyricism. The song’s original touch, however, comes with the accordion in the background. “Strange Arithmetic” is a catchy combination of synth and repetitive verse, forming Riley’s call for teachers to show students “how to fight for what’s needed.” “Your Parents’ Cocaine” would resemble a cheeky schoolyard chant with its heavy employment of kazoos if it wasn’t criticizing the aristocratic one per cent. “Violet,” on the other hand, is a more low-key affair. It feels intimate, and the call and response between Riley and Silk-E, alongside its addition of classical string instruments, makes it an interlude for the rest of the album. Another highlight is “The Guillotine” which has a memorable melody and enticing group chanting.

Sorry to Bother You’s title itself is, perhaps, a nod to listeners’ reactions to the album. As a creative effort, it dutifully delivers its message over, and over again. In combination with its heavy political views, however, it could alienate or attract on its views alone. Either way, one can’t help but notice that Riley wants more than to sell records.