I passed on another song from rapper Darian Smith Jr this week. It wasn’t because the song was mid or anything. I just felt that the song could’ve gone longer–even though it was (including the intro) about 3:30. On “Know About Me,” the rhymesayer lets people see who he is, where he’s been (both dark spaces and light-filled ones) and where he wants to go. I’m here for a song that promotes personal growth (and victories against demons)–especially one that feels like a classic boombap track. I love the lyrics and the flow employed here. Both feel pretty timeless in that they don’t seem like they’re a time capsule of the period in which Smith recorded the song.

Produced by The Most High Sav, “Know About Me” is perfect for fans of 90s NYC hip-hop as well as younger students of the game like J. Cole and Joey Bada$$. If you’re here for introspective, self-reflective bars over a thumping beat, this one’s also for you. Essentially, if you want to hear a man rap rap while also storytelling and peeling away the mask to show the man behind it? You should do like I did and heck out the track below. Once you do that, go ahead and do the SOTB shuffle and support dope music in all its forms.