Uptown XO is the D.C. emcee, known both as a solo artist and as one third of the group Diamond District with yU and Oddisee. It’s been several years since we heard from either, so it’s nice to welcome him back with a solo album, Culture Over Corporate.

For the album, Uptown XO turns to producer Drew Dave, an Alexandria, Virginia-based artist best known for his 2015 album, SynthBASED. One listen to Culture Over Corporate, and it becomes clear very quickly that these two have great chemistry together. Part of the reason why is that neither overthought things – they’re just doing what they do best. Drew Dave is bringing some pop-friendly, soulful beats that have a real bounce to them, and Uptown XO is clearly feeding off of that energy as he brings his rhymes. As referenced by the title of this album, the concept here is about respecting hip hop culture, Black culture, and building community. Uptown XO has a real easy-going flow, with a clear and direct delivery that helps you understand every word that he’s saying, which is great because it’s clear that Uptown’s message means a lot to him. There are a few times over the course of the album where he walks right up to the line of dropping some old man raps that sound like, “Back in my day, when hip hop was good…” but every time he hints at that he backs off and gets back to the here and now. This is an album about realizing the potential of hip hop, and to inspire others to find their own community and self-worth in the culture. This is clear in songs like, “Song 4 CC,” his ode to D.C. that fights back against gentrification, or “Make Noise,” featuring his longtime collaborator, yU. Not only are the messages clear, but the whole album doesn’t have a lot of wasted space, with nine songs that go hard before Uptown and Dave peace out.

Culture Over Corporate is the type of album that you want from a veteran like Uptown XO. He picks a great producer that he has chemistry with in Drew Dave, and then makes a clear and concise album with a strong message that is also pop-friendly and bumps like crazy. You can’t ask for much more than that.