Actor/rapper Phil. bares his soul on this one. I enjoyed the production, handled by Chicago native Aaron Day. However, I really appreciated the mental health discussion Phil. and his features, Laroyce Hawkins and Jeff Gibbs, gave us on “Journal.” It’s a song centered around Phil.’s anxieties about the world and life–and how he’s trying to keep going as a Black man in America. As a fellow Black man who has some mental health comorbidities, I’m here for the message and the vulnerability everyone gives us on this track.

I feel this one especially because I deal with my cycling bipolar disorder–which also has mixed features–and my own anxieties on a daily basis. It gets tiring and the ish isn’t fun–at all. Nor is it not like the movies (especially since my mood can, at times, switch almost without warning). On top of that, the bars are especially solid from a purely musical standpoint. Check it all out below and support dope music in all its forms.