Over a high-energy instrumental that brings to mind Lizzo and Chance the Rapper’s highs, artist Austin Dean Ashford’s latest track finds him blending a lot of different sounds (pop, Bay Area hip-hop, ukulele strums, neo-soul, etc.). This cacophony of sounds allows Ashford to speak his mind on a variety of topics. From spirituality to just being a melanin-having individual and all that comes with it, we get a lot of who ADA is as an artist and a man from this one track.

Serving as the intro to his Durags N Bonnets album, “This iI It” is a fine introduction to the world of Ashford. It’s a good starting point if you’ve never really heard his music before (such was the case for me). However, it’s literally only the tip of the iceberg for the album. DNB talks about the same topics that its intro does but stretches some of these conversations out for listeners to absorb what he’s really putting down. If you’re in the market for some feelgood conscious rap, you should give this one a spin. Check out “This Is It” (and its parent album) below and support dope music in all its forms.