Sareem Poems and Newselph are a couple of hip hop veterans from Michigan and Alberta, Canada, respectively. Not quite a year ago, they teamed up to release the album 88 to Now. The results where so good and the chemistry so natural, it only made sense for them to run things back and do it all over again, resulting in their new full-length album, The Art of Living.

The beauty of an album like The Art of Living is in its simplicity. Both Sareem Poems and Newselph have been around the block a few times and seen some ups and downs in their careers and in life, so when they found themselves in a good position after 88 to Now, it only made sense to make an album that’s all about taking stock and appreciating all of the positive things in life. Granted, there are plenty of bad things happening in the world right now, but that’s all the more reason to be thankful for even the tiniest good thing in your life. Newselph is setting the stage by bringing a lot of smooth jazz and R&B into the mix and translating it into some laid back boom bap, the kind that sounds perfect on a sunny day. It certainly bumps, but it’s also joyous and peaceful in its tone in a way that’s very inviting to listen to. Sareem picks up on this vibe and runs with it as he spits his rhymes, coming at you with just the right balance of gratitude and encouragement in his lyrics, while also acknowledging all the struggles along the way before he got to where he was. In doing so, he’s able to avoid sounding too preachy or cheesy when he’s being positive on the mic – it just sounds heartfelt, which it is. There is just a quiet confidence to this album that makes it very easy to listen to, with both artists knowing that they have the goods, so they just sit back in the pocket and let the dope hip hop unfurl at its own pace.

The Art of Living isn’t the type of album that is going to blow you away at first, but it’s not so subtle that you’ll miss it completely, either. Instead, Sareem Poems and Newselph are just coming at you like a cool breeze on a hot summer day, bringing the time-tested formula of laid back funky beats and heartfelt honest rhymes with the confidence of a couple of veteran artists who know exactly what they’re about and how to bring it.