Afrokeys is a keyboardist/songwriter/producer out of Minneapolis, best known for his work with Atmosphere. He’s been making music as a solo project for years, but he has recently teamed up with vocalist I-BE, also from the Twin Cities. They now release their debut EP together, All Figured Out.

There are a lot of interesting angles to this EP. Afrokeys is a great producer, and one that seems deceptively simple, but it’s really a matter of knowing when to pull back and let a few key elements shine and knowing when a key melodic or rhythmic flip is all you need to keep a song interesting. Most of the songs here are built on keyboard, naturally, and Afrokeys does a great job of showing you how rich he can make keys sound without making things too busy. Overall, the sound is a soul/hip hop hybrid, with one foot in the past, with classic soul vocals coming from I-BE that will remind you of someone like Jerry Butler of Teddy Pendergrass, and other times he’ll come with sung/rapped delivery that will sound much more modern. Over the course of the EP, I-BE sings and raps about the messiness of everyday life, from romantic relationships to family and friends, and just trying to build something for yourself in this world. It’s nothing too crazy, just something that is easy to relate to when it’s done well, and I-BE is incredibly open and honest in his delivery on this EP. And while he isn’t afraid to get into the weeds and admit his own faults and struggles here, the EP also manages to maintain a main message of hope for brighter days ahead.

All Figured Out is an exciting release from two artists that deserve more attention both in and out of the Twin Cities. I-BE and Afrokeys have great chemistry together, and they’ve really crafted a sound of their own on their first EP. I can’t wait to see what they do when they build upon this foundation.