Brother Ali’s had a lot of opportunities at his disposal over the last decade. His 2003 album Shadows On The Sun was said to be made with four-track beats by Ant (of Atmosphere), and it goes down in history as one of my favorite albums of the 2000s. Revealing, vulnerable, thoughtful, and still delivered in the vein of an MC’s MC. In between albums, Ali hits fans off with a sneak-attack project that kind of pulls him back to that style of Hip-Hop. Left In The Deck is a cassette-themed free album, produced entirely by Seattle’s Jake One, all on four-track. Jake and Ali have tremendous chemistry, and this truly comes at a great time. I love artists to go out of release schedule with treats for the core fans—Rhymesayers has been outstanding at this.

Stream or download (if you buy the corresponding shirt from RSE’s Minneapolis Fifth Element store):

Related: R.A. The Rugged Man – The Dangerous 3 ft Brother Ali & Masta Ace (Video)