The Upliftment Struggle is the second in a series of four mixtapes that I Self Devine is releasing in anticipation of his new album coming out in May. On his first mix, he presented a look back at his childhood growing up in L.A. in the ‘80s. In the second chapter, Devine changes perspective and tries to analyze how one can rise up and overcome a tough background. It’s a strong development of what was built on the first mixtape.

Things open with a clip from Max Roach’s “Freedom Day,” part of his often overlooked Freedom Now! Suite. The leads into Devine’s first song, “Up Aboves,” a tense song with a busy bass line juxtaposed against some minor horn hits. It’s a powerful song with lyrics that suggest that when times are tough, the first change that has to come is within yourself before things can start to get better. As the chorus says, “The struggle built me…When you’re down there’s no helping.” Things get little bit more optimistic from there, but everything is grounded strongly in reality. Devine isn’t dreaming blindly of some abstract better tomorrow, he’s concerned with what we need to do today to make sure the next day better than the last. It’s hard to imagine that this isn’t informed by his experiences as a community organizer, and I think that’s what really gives Devine’s music it’s power. He’s not speaking to us from up on high, he’s standing next to you and asking “What can we do together to make this a better situation?” My personal favorite track on this collection is “My Love Is…?,” a funky and soulful inspection of the stress that hard times put on relationships and the harmful ways in which we can act out in those situations.

2012 has already been an incredibly strong year for hip hop, and I Self Devine is certainly doing his part. The first two mixtapes have already provided us with great music and plenty of smart content that can lead to productive discussions. And somehow I know the best is yet to come.