BlackNerdNinja is an emcee from Athens, Georgia who has been putting out music for a few years now. His last project came out in April of last year, an EP by the name of The Story So Far (Pop-up Shop). Now he comes back with another EP, The Mission Statement.

If you’ve never listened to BlackNerdNinja before, The Mission Statement makes for a great starting point. With the exception of one track produced by Lu B, the rest of the EP is produced by Flawless tracks. Between the two, you get plenty of great boom bap beats that find a great balance between being weird and accessible. This fits perfectly with BlackNerdNinja, who could also be describe in a similar fashion. Over the course of six songs, he gives you plenty of nerdy references, such as X-Men or Friday the 13th, but he balances that with some really personal rhymes and some keen social observations as well. He does all this with a great amount of skill and charisma on the mic that comes together to give you a really entertaining and rewarding listening experience with The Mission Statement. It’s just one of those releases that immediately sounds familiar, like you’ve been rocking with BlackNerdNinja for years, even if you haven’t. He knows how to have fun with it, but he also know when to get serious and add some substance to the discussion without getting to preachy with it. It’s all just the type of release you’d expect from a hip hop veteran.

BlackNerdNinja might not be a name you know yet, but he’s part of a growing Athens hip hop scene full of talented individuals. The Mission Statement continues to build his already impressive resume, giving you plenty of hip hop that’s nerdy, fun, and substantial.