Joell Ortiz’ masterful storytelling are one of the lyrical attributes that transcended him from a late ’90s, early 2000s street MC into a major label star. Like two of his onetime mentors and label-heads, Eminem and Dr. Dre in 2000’s “Guilty Conscience,” Joell uses his House Slippers moment “Phone” to walk through the set of his stories—showing just how real, in the moment, and vital these matters can be.

Although the video portrays Joell as a third party, the introductory quote and the LP’s themes and openness suggest otherwise. This is some heavy stuff…

2014 was a huge year for Slaughterhouse’s members to make distinct and daring solo works, no?

Related: Joell Ortiz Releases a Brand New Free EP of Remixes (Mixtape)