Last year, the then 17-year old MC known as A-F-R-O won a Rap competition judged by R.A. The Rugged, Talib Kweli, Murs, Jean Grae, Vinnie Paz, Locksmith, Rittz and more. Since then, he’s converted everyone from DJ Premier to Talib Kweli, Queen Latifah to Questlove into fans and ardent supporters. Many consider him to be one of the most promising voices in Hip-Hop and his new mixtape Tales From The Basement delivers on the promise.

Now officially signed to R.A., A-F-R-O has put together a 7-track collection that showcases his mind-bending lyricism. To say that he’s a throwback would be a disservice, as few before him have had the type of microphone control that he possesses. He stands in an elite class that is not defined by era, but by quality. Take a look at his video for “Code #829” and check out the full stream of Tales From The Basement below.

Related: Some Very Respected People Think This 17-Year Old MC Is The Future of Hip-Hop. Meet A-F-R-O (Video)