Locksmith has been in the game long enough to go from prodigious street poet to battle MC, to prolific recording artist. Although Lock’ is straight out of Richmond, California, his music is not what many might expect from the region. His lyrics do not glorify drugs, sideshows, or violence. Instead, the Berkeley graduate chooses to spit conscious verses that enlighten listeners, rather than simply entertain them.

Locksmith is all about the intricate wordplay, which seems to be the main criteria that Apollo Brown uses to select collaborators. After doing full albums with the likes of Ras Kass, Planet Asia, Guilty Simpson, O.C., and Skyzoo, fans that speculate who he will choose next. The MC who has previously worked with Ski Beatz and E-A-Ski is a fitting choice. On June 15, the pair will release eight-track No Question on Mello Music Group. It is the follow-up to Locksmith’s Olive Branch.

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On the title track premiering at Ambrosia For Heads, Brown’s bright keys and infectious vocal loop pull the best out of Locksmith, who rhymes about being bullied because of his religion in the first verse, and then attacks the music and movie industries in his second stanza. The honesty and social commentary are a dose of vitamins and nutrients for the ear and mind.

“The music speaks for itself, No Question,” Apollo said, in a press statement, playing with the title. “It’s just good Hip-Hop, period. Every track came alive when Lock got in the booth, and he literally spit with no paper, no cell phone, no Etch-A-Sketch…just pure memory.” The Detroit, Michigan native producer added, “I’ve been a fan of this man’s mind for a minute. His thought process is crazy, and I finally got the chance to put it to music.”

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“It was so refreshing to have such an incredible producer to provide the landscape for my perspective,” the MC born Davood Asgari said in a statement. “The lyrics literally wrote themselves once I heard the tracks.”