E-Turn is an emcee/vocalist from Orlando. She’s been putting out music for a few years, with two albums already under her belt. Things are kicking up a notch for her, though, as she makes her Fake Four debut with her strongest album to date, Young World.

Young World has been one of the more anticipated albums of the year, at least in terms of newer artists. Ever since Fake Four announced her signing and brought her to SXSW in March to play their official showcase, it started to become clear that we had some serious talent on our hands, and that this album coming out in the fall just might be something special. Now that Young World is finally here, I can officially say that I know that this album is special. The title itself is meant to draw a parallel between how the history of civilization as we know it is relatively young compared to the history of the universe, much in the same way that the history of hip hop is relatively young compared to the overall history of music. This is all to say that E-Turn is giving us an album that is both rooted in hip hop history but is also pushing the genre forward. For this endeavor, she’s enlisted the help of producer Swamburger, best know for his work as part of the group Soliloquists of Sound, who is able to find that perfect balance with her of old school and new school hip hop, with heavy doses of soul and R&B, and then flavored with everything psychedelic rock to gospel, and even East Asian classical music at one point. E-Turn has a mixed heritage, with a Persian refugee father and a mother of Hispanic and Native descent. This might cause others along the way to pause and not know what to make of her, but at this point in her life and her career, you can see her not only celebrate her uniqueness, but also realizing that her own example of distinctly different cultures coming together is beautiful and can serve as a point of strength and inspiration. Young World is an album that’s both about self-discovery and healing, but also an invitation for others to use hip hop as a meeting point where great discussions can be had, where learning can take place, and humanity can be celebrated. On top of all of this, it doesn’t hurt that E-Turn is very gifted both as an emcee and a vocalist. She can spit as hard as anybody with a great sense of rhythmic play to her bars, and she comes out of the gates swinging when she first hops on the mic for “Not Me.” She also has a great singing voice with a tone that works extremely well for R&B. On some songs she might play both roles and sing the hook and rap the verses, but there are also songs like “Stumble,” which just let her voice shine on a song that shows she could hold her own against your favorite ‘90s R&B singers. We also get a couple of veterans stopping by to lend their talents, and nowhere does it work better than on “Peas,” which features the legend Myka 9, and the chemistry the two have together as they both sing and rap about wanting peace and understanding, but knowing that they are willing to fight for themselves when people push them back up against a wall.

You’d be hard pressed to get a more complete listening experience in 2018 than that of Young World. E-Turn has been on her grind and working steadily for a few years now, and the payoff has finally come in an album that showcases why she is such a special artist. It’s got great pop moments, moments of weirdness, moments where it hits hard, and moments of tenderness. Throughout it all you’ve got the honest and creative lyricism of E-Turn being sung and rapped at a top level. This is one of the best albums of the year.