Weighn Beats is a producer from Boise, Idaho. Just this last March, he teamed up with emcees Clev Speech and Mo Digs to release an album titled Les Fortunate. Now he has come back with a solo instrumental project, Hip-Hopumentary.

If you are familiar with Weighn Beats through the Les Fortunate album, or maybe with his work with emcee Oso Negro, you might not be prepared for Hip-Hopumentary. It’s not that this album is that unusual, but it is a change of pace from the left field boom bap that he’s throwing down on those projects. On this album, he’s slowing things down to give us a really thoughtful and meditative downtempo project. While the tempo is slower, Weighn Beats still recognizes the need for movement in his compositions, and make sure the song structure and melody are developed well enough to separate this album from the pack of mediocre downtempo albums that never go anywhere. Where Weighn Beats really excels on this particular project is his carefully selected and well-place vocal clips, which are used to spark conversation while the music plays out. These clips are largely from interviews or other public forums, some recognizable and some not, but there’s just enough information in each clip to get you thinking about a particular subject while Weighn Beats takes over with some beautiful downtempo beats that will let your mind wander as the music swirls around you. This is definitely the type of album to listen to on headphones, where you can really get lost inside your own head.

Weighn Beats might not be a name you’re that familiar with, but he’s quietly building an excellent discography for himself these past couple of years. Hip-Hopumentary shows us another side of the artist, introspective and contemplative, and it’s a really thoughtful project.