J-Live is an oft unheralded underground king. Justice Allah was once a school teacher and now, he saves his lessons for lesser rappers.

The NYC born and bred MC headed out West for his latest visual, “Pay It Forward.” In addition to taking in some sun, he seems to have soaked up some of that Cali sound, as well. The song, which is from his upcoming album His Own Self, oozes Funk–not polished Funk, but the dirty, gut-busting kind of bass line found on cuts by acts like Slave and Lakeside. All the while, J-Live spits the kind of confident and intelligent rhymes that have become customary for him. Check out the video.

Related: J-Live Salutes All The O.G. Mixtape DJs On Impacting His Direction (Audio)