Main Attrakionz are hip-hop's best duo ever -- at least in the minds of its two members, Mondre M.A.N. and Squadda B. The North Oaklanders have run with the self-appointed statement of greatness to the point where they bandy it around in interviews and have even named a mixtape after it. It's a lofty claim. But while the youthful group has yet to seriously prove their legendary status, they have successfully set themselves ahead of the pack of other upcoming cock-sure rap crews by becoming leaders of the cloud rap moment -- a journalistic tag that they've embraced as an apt description for their breezy, mellifluous music and lazily ambling flows.

The newest installment in the Main Attrakionz files is cLOUDLIFE, a four-track EP crafted in tandem with members of the fellow Bay-based Anticon collective who themselves seemed to inhabit an alternative rap universe back in the late-'90s when artists like Sole and Dose One came to prominence. (The inverted capitalization of the EP's title is a homage to the Anticon super-group of sorts, cLOUDDED, who formed back in 1999 and released an ambient-leaning album.) It's a canny, cross-generational union, with Mondre M.A.N. and Squadda's raps meshing with beats by Jel and Zachg; while "So Whut" alters the vibe with abrasive, electronic production, the marriage consummates with most swoon-some effect on songs like "J Bar" and "Take Her Shoppin" where the lyrics seep into the music, with the words and melodies emulsifying into a precious new unified form.

Main Attrakionz's music may create a vibe that it's tempting to drift off to -- the duo have made no attempts to hide their allegiance to a lifestyle hooked around puffing on greenery and they're integral to the Green Ova clique -- but their output is prolific. The Attrakionz's obligatory Tumblr account hosts over 100 free tracks spread across eight mixtape projects, with last year's 808s & Dark Grapes II particularly lauded for its fusion of intimate, lo-fi production values and deceptively addictive raps. Mondre M.A.N. and Squadda B's collaborations with atmospheric production wunderkind Clams Casino and newly-minted Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky have also positioned them as intrinsic players in rap's new generation. So while hip-hop may have a distinguished history of artists boasting about their greatness from within the confines of regional boundaries, these Oaktown kids are aiming their movement firmly towards the clouds.

Stream cLOUDLIFE at Spin.com.