Brain Rapp has been one of my favorite artists from the Baltimore Metropolitan Area and the DMV for the last decade or so. He’s also been one of the artists who gives back to the area, be it through funky raps, cover art for other artists, both of those in some instances (shameless plug), or just being an ally against racial injustices. The brother is dope in a variety of ways and is always improving his craft. His latest effort, Warm Fuzzy, features Brain doing everything himself, from rapping to producing. The end result is four tracks of dope coffee-infused, boombap-centric hip-hop that’re equal parts affirming of Brain’s status as a dope rhymesayer and introspective and inclusive. One thing that I love about Brain’s music is that he’s always looking for ways to help his fellow man.

On a track like “Get Together,” he talks about his goals but also how they play into the master plan of elevating the masses. He wants to just chill and relax, but knows there’s a lot of work to do. On a song like “Funky Whiteboy,” he raps his ass off while also noting that the conventional way to do things (go to college, get a good job, etc.) isn’t an ideal anymore. In fact, it’s a kind of archaic way to go about things since he notes that “YouTube taught [him] more than university.”

And he’s write (pun intended).

On Warm Fuzzy, even though the tracklist is shorter than your average Brain Rapp project, he taps into a lot of emotions and thoughts to give listeners a deep dive into what makes the rapper/designer/barista one of the most-creative creatives in the DMV. Check out the project below and remember to support dope music in all its forms.