Fifteen years ago, Kanye West came into Hip-Hop producing for MCs who had very different surroundings and inspiration than him (Beanie Sigel, Jay Z, Dilated Peoples). By the time it came to record his own music, the same quality sounds were there, but ‘Ye’s message and story stood apart in the mainstream from that which Heads were used to.

One Mr. West’s star production pupils, Hit-Boy is much the same. For the last six years, the Los Angeles, California native has laced Lil Wayne, Beyonce, and Mary J. Blige with hard-hitting tracks. On his own, Hit tows a different line. “Automatically” is really stripped down, in video and lyrics. Hit-Boy is just a regular dude who caught some major inspiration from early 2000s Hip-Hop, and stayed working. The song gives infinite props to his mentor, more than five years before they connected. Doesn’t the story and aesthetic kind of parallel? This is Underground Rap by a dude with an onslaught of (multi) platinum album credits.

Is Hit-Boy a better MC than he gets credit for?

Related: Nipsey Hussle & Rick Ross Enjoy The Perks Of The Spotlight On A Hit-Boy Track (Audio)