Maker vs Now-Again

If you’re ever curious as to what kind of beats an enterprising producer could concoct from the deeply researched, deeply strange Now-Again vaults, here’s your answer — or at least the first of three volumes’ worth of answers. Chicago-based Marco “Maker” Jacobo made his name in the early ’00s collaborating with the prolific-yet-underrated rapper Qwel from Typical Cats, but this comp gave his profile a bigger boost outside the Second City, letting him work his reconstructive chops on cuts ranging from psychedelic nuggets (“Forge Your Own Chains”) to soaring, horn-driven soul (“The Love We Have”) to atomic-kickdrum disco-turned-house (“Free”).