Sign One is a producer and emcee from Orlando who has been creating his own particular brand of hip hop since the early ‘00s. The last time we heard from him was when he dropped his full-length album, Bottom Dollar, back in September of 2016 on Endemik Records. Now he comes back with a short EP for the end of the year called Lunchmeat.

If you’re familiar with Sign One, Lunchmeat is exactly what you would come to expect out of him. It’s featuring some dense, noisy, hard hitting production that doesn’t let up until the EP is over. To complement these beats, we get plenty of nerdy shit talking, ironic, self-deprecating humor, and casual political observations. It’s a short EP, with four songs coming in just a little short of the thirteen-minute mark, but there is a lot packed into this little bit of space, whether it be audio samples talking about delis and cooks, or a guest verse from Bleubird, or just some punishing beats while Sign One hops on the mic and does his own thing. There’s a lot of bang for your buck here.

Lunchmeat EP is one of the most straightforward releases you’ll hear at the end of the year, and serves as a nice thank you to fans who have supported Sign One along all the twists and turns of his career. That said, if you’ve never heard of Sign One before, I couldn’t think of a better beginner’s guide to what this mainstay of the underground is all about.