Between this mixtape cover and the sound of his music, Lute takes his love of gritty, hardcore 90s hip hop pretty seriously. The kid sounds young, but he raps like a veteran street poet who’s seen a few things. Nice flow, tight boom bap beats, and some tangible storytelling. It’s a recipe Lute makes his features follow as well, and the payoff is huge.

Some would call this nostalgic, but I’d like to think it’s a reminder of hip hop’s fundamentals. You can stream this album on Bandcamp. The digital version of the album is available for fifty cents, too.