On Matt Nye’s latest, Nye Hard, he laments about the loss of innocence when it comes to artists. That’s to say that the boombap-heavy rapper gives us bars for days from the perspective of a 30-something artist who’s gone through hell just to get a bit of heaven. He gives listeners a look at what it’s like to be a millennial and still making your mark musically. It’s tough, even if you’re a Cole or Kendrick type because the game stands still for no one. Either get with the program and deal with it in your own way or get left behind and be bitter. Matt’s choosing to do things his own way within the “confines” of modern hip-hop.

As an artist who’s been in the game myself for over 20 years and one also born in 1988, I feel this project at its core. I’ve often struggled with conflating the fact that I’m closer to 40 than to 30 with the fact that I still feel young. Because of this, I also feel that Nye’s speaking to the oldheads who aren’t yelling at clouds. Yes, there are a lot of us out there who do want the game to be a bit more conscious but don’t want to sacrifice artistry to make it such. In other words, this one’s for the guys who don’t rock with radio rap but don’t completely deny its right to exist. Of course, these “oldheads” also realize the game’s gotten quite messed up and want some sort of release/relief from it.

On top of that, we get an album where Matt straight-up lets listeners where he’s been, physically and mentally, over the time between his last full-length project and Nye Hard. He leans heavily into his losses over the years to strip a lot of the bravado away–while still leaving enough for some great shit-talking tracks. From a lyrical standpoint, Nye’s verses are some of his best. He “rap raps” over the entirety of the project, refusing to shift his focus just to “fit in.” In doing so, Nye tells the “mainstream” to kindly go eff itself while also staying true to what got him into his musical position in the first place.

See, folks? You don’t have to sacrifice your scruples to make fire music.

Check out the project below and remember to support dope music in all its forms.