Hip-Hop is filled with posers and fake gangsters. There are so many who glorify senseless violence, materialism and drug consumption–all for a check. So, when something real is said, it penetrates. From day one, Jay Rock, TDE’s OG MC, has brought light to the struggle of life in the ghetto, with a voice that is 100% authentic. When Rock rhymes, you can hear pain, hunger, and a desire to uplift those around him. It’s a stark contrast to the braggadocio “me first” mentality espoused in most of today’s Rap.

“Gumbo,” Jay Rock’s latest, serves up that real and raw in heaping scoops. The song plays like an inspirational message to anyone stuck in the streets but trying to make a better life. He raps “Have you ever put your had over fire just to see what you could tolerate, and you could find no escape?…Keeping my chin down, nose clean but my guard’s up. Charged up, ’cause this ghetto’s got me scarred up…And, I can show you what it feels like, the moment they want you defeated but yet you still fight.” Check it out.

Or via Spotify:

Related: Jay Rock Watches His Life Flash Before His Eyes in Money Trees Deuce (Video)