ePP is an emcee from Portland, Oregon who has been making music for over a decade, in groups like TxE with Calvin Valentine, and as a solo artist. Just about a year ago, ePP paired back up with Calvin Valentine to make the Chrome Seats mixtape. Now ePP comes back with his latest solo album, There’s a Place for People Like You.

There’s something to be said for not resting on one’s laurels, and for continuing to expand your sound and trying something new. If Chrome Seats was ePP getting back to his roots with an old buddy, There’s a Place for People Like You is ePP looking forward and pushing himself in a new direction. Working with executive producer Neill Von Tally and producer Damon Boucher, ePP takes a deliberate step into a modern style of pop/hip hop, bringing in more auto-tune and melodic flow to his style than in previous projects, with beats that look towards trap for inspiration. If you’ve been following him for a while, it might take a minute to adjust your ear, but once you do, the music is enjoyable. This is because that while sonically this album might be more in tune with what the younger generation is streaming these days, ePP certainly isn’t sacrificing anything on the lyrical side of things. He’s a veteran emcee, and he’s been through some things in his life, and in large part this album is about believing in yourself when your back is up against the wall and finding that strength to bounce back. ePP isn’t trying to lay down any sort of cheesy inspirational rhymes, just looking to relay his own journey, opening up about the good and the bad, and maybe you can find your own truth within the stories. On a song like “One You Can Save,” ePP discusses his struggles to accept help from friends and how one person’s idea of advice can be another person’s view of being boxed in. On “Sofa Successful,” ePP takes stock of what success means to him, and how he’s willing to sacrifice material success to live a life of good principles and taking care of those that he’s close to and that mean the most him. It’s this type of open and honest lyricism that really allow you to connect with the music, even if it’s a different style from ePP that you might be used to.

ePP has been making music for quite a while now, and while he might experiment with different types of production and lyrical flows, he has never strayed from being an open and honest lyricist, rhyming about his personal journey and all the ups and downs that come along the way. So yes, There’s a Place for People Like You might be a little jarring at first because of the switch to this modern pop style, but underneath all that is the same old ePP.