The legendary political rap pioneer from the 1970s and 80s is back with his first album in 16 years. You may recognize his glorious voice from hits like “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” or features on underground hip hop records of the post-2000s, such as Blackalicious’ Blazing Arrow. But one too many crack-cocaine sentences can take a toll on a man. So along came the head of XL, Richard Russell, wanting to resurrect the career of one of music’s lost giants. And resurrect a career he did. This record is short, just under 30 minutes in length, but not a minute is wasted. The short poetic talking interludes were chosen for a reason and are not filler as is too common on hip hop records these days. And have we talked about how amazing the production is? Although the familiar lush jazz funk backdrops from Gil’s classics of the 70s are not on here, Mr. Russell has brought the legend into the ’10s with a blast of fresh air. I’m New Here is a stripped-down affair filled with rumbling bass drums, hand claps, electronic fuzz and blips, and even some simple acoustic guitar. Despite these incredible soundscapes, the real icing on the cake is Gil’s voice, reverberating with that urgency heard on his early records. The legend is back and hopefully here to stay for a long time to come!

RIYL: Langston Hughes, Dr. Cornell West, Bill Withers

Recommended: 10, 2, 3, 6, 13

- Ethan Meick, Digital Ass MD