Oddisee has been making major moves in 2016. The celebrated producer and MC dropped his Alwasta EP and the instrumental The Odd Tape this year, projects which continue to make him one of Hip-Hop’s best kept secrets. But today’s (December 15) announcement marks something truly major on his horizon: on February 24, he will release a new 12-track album, The Iceberg, and its lead single is just the first sign the LP is his most important work to date.

Oddisee Blends Grace & Grit In a Stunning Example of Duality (Video)

“Things” is emblematic of the vast well of musical influence from which Oddisee draws inspiration. With elements of UK Garage and Deep House, it’s an uptempo joint that deals with heavy themes, including oppression (Odd’ raps “we just want to matter more”) and allusions to the dreams of grandeur icons like the Notorious B.I.G. touted. Of the song, he says “We all go through the trials & tribulations of life. Why is it we feel the need to individualize our shared experiences? If only we could see our concerns as others do, maybe they wouldn’t be so serious.”

As described by Oddisee himself, The Iceberg is “a plea for humanity to dig deeper in search of understanding and common ground.” He expands, saying the album “is a distillation of stereotypical tropes in hip-hop and beyond, 12 tracks about money, sex, politics, race and religion that appear superficial until his multi-dimensional lyrics unfurl to expose the complexities of individuality and identity: how we see ourselves and how others see us.” Oddisee’s forthcoming project is now available for preorder from Mello Music Group.

Also announced today is a massive world tour:

March 2 – Paris, France – La Place
March 3 – Lyon, France – Bizarre!
March 4 – Nantes, France – Stereolux
March 6 – Bristol, UK – The Lantern
March 8 – Manchester, UK – Gorilla
March 9 – Dublin, Ireland, The Sugar Bluc
March 11 – London, UK – Islington Assembly Hall
March 13 – Munich, Germany – Ampere
March 14 – Erfurt, Germany – Franz Melhose
March 15 – Berlin, Germany – Gretchen
March 16 – Hamburg, Germany – Mojo Club
March 17 – Cologne, Germany – Gloria
March 18 – Stuttgart, Germany – Im Wizemann
March 19 – Frankfurt, Germany – Zoom
March 22 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornroosje
March 24 – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Bird
March 25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
March 26 – Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique
March 30 – Milan, Italy – Biko Club
April 7 – Sofia, Bulgaria – Sofia Live Club
April 8 – Bucharest, Romania – Arenele Romane
April 10 – Vienna, Austria – Grelle Forelle
April 11 – Warsaw, Poland – Stodola
April 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of Living Arts
April 20 – Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club
April 21 – Raleigh, NC – King’s Barcade
April 23 – Atlanta, GA – The Loft
April 26 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s
April 27 – Dallas, TX – Dada Dallas
April 28 – Austin, TX – Empire Control Room
May 1 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
May 5 – San Diego, CA – Music Box
May 7 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency
May 9 – Eugene, OR – WoW Hall
May 10 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
May 11 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
May 12 – Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret
May 13 – Spokane, WA – The Big Dipper
May 14 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
May 17 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
May 18 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
May 19 – Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall
May 20 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
May 21 – Indianapolis, IN – The HiFi
May 26 – Detroit, MI – Arab American National Museum
May 27 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
May 30 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
May 31 – New York, NY – Highline Ballroom