Motown Priest is, in a few words, a rapper’s rapper. He’s one helluva storyteller, his bars are impressive and his beat selection is damned good to boot. He’s seemingly one of those rappers you just chill, stop what you’re doing and listen to.

On his debut (?!) album Hawthorne, the Detroit-born artist weaves stories of growing up Black, wanting to make sure his people are taken care of and just BARS. It’s a great project, mainly because it blends lyrics for days with conscious raps with gritty truth-centric bars over impeccable indie production. With some artists, you get one of these things. Either they can spit that crack or their beat selection is fire. It’s not as often you get someone with the complete package like I feel Priest is on Hawthorne.

If you’re in the market for a lyricist who has their finger on the pulse of the world—while still dropping a collection that’s bop-friendly and mentally elevated—this one’s for you. Check out the album above and support dope music in all its forms. The way this brother came onto the scene on this one? You’ll probably be hearing from him for a minute.

Update: 4/21/23

Above, we’ve got the metaphysical and reflective short film Hawthorne. It helps flesh out already fleshed-out songs by adding depth and a bit more perspective. The visuals are honestly some of the most-interesting I’ve seen this year (and that’s saying something). You’re awaiting what happens in this Greek tragedy-esque series of events. When things get hectic, we’re there with Motown. When things calm a bit, we’re still there. We get to see the fall and rise (then re-arising) of a dreamer who doesn’t want to admit he’s got to work on himself.

Check out the visuals if you’ve got some time for something incredible.