It’s been a couple years now since Bay Area hip hop staple Zion I went from a duo to just emcee Zumbi, but he keeps the banner flying and putting out music. Most recently, he began recording with DJ Fresh as they hit the road with Slightly Stoopid. The result is their new mixtape, The Tonite Show.

Typically, when I think of Zion I, I think of a big sound, one that draws on hyphy and dancehall, one that can really fill up the room and get your heart pumping. That’s why I was so surprised when I first listened to The Tonite Show, which has a decidedly smaller and more intimate sound to it. The opening notes of the first track, “Work,” seemed to promise this explosive moment was coming, but right when it felt like the big hit was coming, it’s more like Fresh hit the clutch and put everything in neutral, and was like, “Nah, we’re just cruising.” Once I was able to adjust my expectations, everything was smooth sailing. We get a bunch of midtempo grooves that slide from old school hip hop production to some laidback West Coast beats. Zumbi is right on the level you’ve come to expect from him on the mic, as he breaks down issues like gentrification, racism, police brutality, and gun violence, while preaching family, community, and spirituality. We do get a crew track on “Vision Quest,” which features Eligh, OneBeLo, Illuminati Congo, and DJ Remedy, who all add a nice bit of flavor to the mixtape while staying on this low key style of hip hop that Zion I and DJ Fresh are laying down.

This isn’t necessarily the most exciting project that Zion I has put together, but The Tonite Show is a project that will grow on you. DJ Fresh and Zumbi took a more low key, restrained approach to this mixtape, but the tradeoff is that you get this really intimate connection to Zumbi’s lyrics, which are as good and heartfelt as ever.