Toronto emcee/vocalist/producer Rel McCoy, fka Relic, has been releasing music since the beginning of the decade. While on earlier projects such as The 13th Floor might have gotten an assist from working with a producer like Fresh Kils, McCoy has only grown stronger and more confident in himself since that time, self-producing his 2016 album, Gas Money. He now returns with another full-length album in which he wears all the different hats, A Different Crown.

This album marks McCoy’s first for Illect Records, which does have a Christian affiliation, and yes, as the title A Different Crown implies, McCoy’s faith is more upfront on this album than in past efforts. Just to clarify, though, in case readers aren’t familiar with the artist or label, this might not be what you think of when you hear the term “Christian Hip Hop.” I know that to many, this term is almost interchangeable with “Christian Rock,” and conjures up images and sounds of musicians basically writing cheesy and/or aggressive commercials for their church. Rest assured that this is not the case with Illect or Rel McCoy. Much like Dallas artist Krum, McCoy’s faith means a lot to him, but he’s using his music to honestly and personally explore what his faith means to him, and how he might draw upon it to move forward with his life. In doing so, Rel McCoy is making hip hop that is actually very relatable, because the openness and honesty in his lyrics and delivery make him a very transparent artist with a lot of issues that you’ve likely dealt with as a listener as well, whether it be a quest for inner peace, or just struggling to make a living doing what he loves, or trying to make personal relationships work. When you combine all of this with a production style that harkens upon an early to mid-‘90s mashup of hip hop and R&B, with singalong hooks and grooves that will instantly have you bobbing your head to the album, you get an album in A Different Crown that is just very easy to listen to. It immediately feels familiar, like you’ve been listening to it for years.

Rel McCoy isn’t trying to re-invent the wheel with his style of hip hop. Instead, he’s just making the music he loves, and he’s doing it well. He puts a lot of himself in the music and lyrics, and this passion is what comes through and makes the music stay with you long after the album is over. A Different Crown is just a solid hip hop album made from a veteran artist who lays it all out in the music.