Fort Wayne emcee Sankofa has been one of the most consistent artists over the past decade-plus. 2019 was one of his most fruitful years to date, dropping not one, not two, but three excellent releases. Not one to rest on his laurels, he’s already coming back with another full-length album, Glyde Drexler.

This particular album was born when Keter, the producer behind one of Sankofa’s earliest albums, The Tortoise Hustle, announced that he was making beats again. Sankofa was excited to work with Keter again, and when you listen to Glyde Drexler, it will become apparent pretty quickly why that is. It’s not because Keter is doing anything crazy with his beats – in fact, it’s quite the opposite, but in a good way. Keter is just throwing down some really classic soul-sampling beats, of the mid-tempo East Coast variety. This is right in Sankofa’s wheelhouse, and so he’s able to get really comfortable in the pocket of all of these grooves and spits some of his best rhymes. Really, what becomes most interesting as you work your way through the album is the way in which Sankofa is able to write an album about the fairly mundane everyday life of a middle aged father and husband, but still manages to make all the songs dope. That’s because of a couple reasons, the first being that Sankofa has been perfecting his craft for a long time, and he’s got a really nice clear delivery in a low register, and he’s able to bounce around with his rhymes with the greatest of ease. The second is that while Sankofa might not be rapping about anything crazy, he’s writing about what he knows, and he’s being honest and emotional with his lyrics. When he rhymes about doing rehab after tearing his Achilles, he’s able to put you in his shoes as he pushes himself to get better day by day so that he can get back to the physical activities that he loves doing. When he writes a song about his son, it’s heartfelt and really lets you get to know this young person in a way that only a parent could observe. Sankofa also remains relatable because he’s got a sense of humor about himself as well, which comes through on “Just Another Rapper With a Money Song,” which details the everyday finances he and his wife face as they try to be responsible with their money, or “Two Hundred and Forty Dollars,” which yes, references the amount of pudding that Barry and LeVon bought on The State.

By this point, there have been a few artists that have successfully transitioned into the “dad rap” phase of their careers, but I don’t know if I’ve heard it quite so heartfelt and done to perfection on such a small scale as Sankofa does on Glyde Drexler. He’s carved out a nice life for himself, and he’s put that all in a great collection of beats and rhymes.