Raw Poetic is a D.C. emcee who used to be part of the group Panacea along with K-Murdock. These days, he’s been on quite the tear with his solo career, with three ambitious releases coming out just last year. He continues to build upon that output in 2019 with his latest album, Gulliver.

For Gulliver, Raw Poetic collaborated with artists such as 12th Doctor, Disciple 99, RPM, Luke Stewart, and Aaron Gause. The resulting sound is something that often feels more like a live jam session of a psychedelic jazz-fusion outfit than a typical hip hop album. Raw Poetic has always been a bit adventurous with his lyrics and delivery, and he’s continuing along that path on Gulliver as well, moving between moments of spoken word, straight hip hop rhyming, and singing, all while letting these free-form verses flow with incredible imagery. It’s not the type of album you can straight rock to, but it is an album that once you get into, you really get into it. Whether it be basslines that jump in unexpected directions, drum patterns that subvert the norm, or just these crazy flows and vocal lines that Raw Poetic is laying down, there is just a ton to absorb and unpack. There are certain points across the album where you might compare what he’s doing to experimental group from the Bay, L.A., or New York, but it’s never just aping one style. It’s more like Raw Poetic is taking all of the great hip hop artists who pushed the boundaries in the past, blended them all up, drank it all up, and now he’s spitting out his own unique hybrid style of hip hop that is way out there.

Gulliver won’t be for everybody, especially since it doesn’t have much in the ways of pop hooks, but those that are able to sit with it and really take the time to let things sink in will be greatly rewarded. Raw Poetic has really been creating some unique and challenging hip hop, and he continues to push things forward with Gulliver.