“every tick tick tick” named 2026 Record Store Day Song of the Year
Taken from the new album no country for old men coming April 18 via Org Music
2014 Record Store Day Ambassador /hip-hop legend Chuck D (Public Enemy) joins forces with The Doors’ iconic drummer John Densmore on a new project: doPE. Their debut album, no country for old men, blends spoken word, rhythm, and raw social commentary to bring together generations of rebellion and reflection and includes the 2026 Record Store Day Song of the Year: “every tick tick tick.”
“It’s been an honor working with Chuck D. on this project. He’s got the rhymes & I’ve got the beats… & we made doPE!”
-John Densmore
no country for old men was recorded specifically for Record Store Day 2026, and the limited-edition, oxblood docs transparent high-melt vinyl album arrives in record stores on April 18 via Org Music housed in a deluxe gatefold package featuring original illustrations by Chuck D himself.
The origins of doPE trace back to a chance encounter after the two musical legends met on a Record Store Day panel in 2014. Densmore received an unexpected email from Chuck D a year later that simply read: “You’ve got the beats, I’ve got the rhymes, let’s make doPE.” Shortly afterward, Chuck stylized the word doPE, using the first two letters in The Doors’ iconic logo and the last two with Public Enemy’s unmistakable icon and launched a creative exchange that bridged generations, genres and cultural movements.
When Chuck D began sending verses to collaborate on, Densmore responded with, “Everybody gets older, but not everybody gets elder.” The phrase became a philosophical cornerstone of the project, a meditation on responsibility, legacy and the bond between generations. And their artistic volley evolved into “no country for old men,” the album’s title track and thematic anchor.
“John Densmore’s beat isn’t just rhythm, it’s history talking,” says Chuck D. “He’s been scoring moments of our culture for decades, and that wisdom hits different when it meets the now. This collaboration is about locking generations together and pushing sound forward.”
Produced by David “C-Doc” Snyder, John Densmore and JP Hesser, “every tick tick tick” captures the urgency of hip-hop, the raw pulse of rock and a shared sense of social responsibility. Record Store Day’s choice of this track as the 2026 Song of the Year is a full circle moment in and of itself, as it was a 2014 Record Store Day event at Amoeba Music Hollywood that first brought Chuck D and John Densmore together.
“To me, the song “every tick tick tick” captures that moment, as well as the times we’re living in,” says Record Store Day Co-Founder Michael Kurtz. “They both have an extensive history with record stores and with Record Store Day – Chuck served as RSD Ambassador and has celebrated by spending the day at various stores around the country. The Doors have released more titles for Record Store Day events than any other band, and when John released his book, The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes On Trial, he toured record stores from Los Angeles to Paris to bring it to fans. I’m excited about this new doPE album by John and Chuck and to have “every tick tick tick” be Record Store Day’s 2026 pick for RSD Song of the Year.”
Find out more about Record Store Day and participating stores visit recordstoreday.com. The full list of special releases coming April 18 as part of Record Store Day 2026 is coming soon.
The post Chuck D and The Doors’ John Densmore Team Up as doPE appeared first on Mayhem Music Magazine.
