Lee Reed might not be a name that American hip hop fans know, but Canadian fans have been following the Hamilton, Ontario artist for about two decades, both as part of the group Warsawpack and as a solo artist. In 2015, Reed opened for Sage Francis at a show in Guelph, Ontario, the two artists really connected, and Sage knew that he wanted to put out Reed’s next project on Strange Famous. Now it’s finally here, as Reed makes his Strange Famous debut with Before & Aftermath.

It won’t take long in listening to Before & Aftermath to see what Sage Francis saw in Reed, and what Canadian hip hop fans have known for years. Reed is incredibly charismatic and smart on the mic, and his music is politically charged. And when I say politically charged, I mean he’s trying to light a powder keg under your ass and get you motivated for action. He’s got a gruff voice, a clear delivery, and a wicked sense of humor, which sometimes sees him pushes the boundaries with his audience, forcing you to decide where you stand as a listener. You see this on songs like “ACAB,” or “Fuck ‘Em,” which really call for some of our institutions to be burnt to the ground. Ultimately, though, you don’t have to agree with Reed 100% to enjoy the music, you just have to be willing to engage, and appreciate his skills on the mic and the way he’s able to make hip hop that is still entertaining while also functioning as a call to action. Production comes courtesy of SUPA83, who matches Reeds delivery with some of the grittiest underground East Coast beats that absolutely knock. It’s the type of album that you’ll want to listen to at a high volume, get pumped up, and then go out and make some change.

Making politically charged hip hop is harder than it looks. In the wrong hands it can just come across as boring or preachy as hell. This isn’t Lee Reed’s first rodeo, though, and he’s been perfecting his own personal style for years, and on Before & Aftermath you get an album that is just as entertaining as it is confrontational.