The cover might make him look like rap game Zach Braff, but Black EL’s latest drop is a tightly coiled monument to internet rap and shifting hip-hop imagery. With a smart, Busdriver-esque balance of ego and self-depreciation (without venturing into awkward J Cole levels of detail) and a clear understanding of how to give an album a sense of consistency without sacrificing variation, L_ST is a late entry to my nonexistent ‘Best of 2014’ list. It also helps that he’s got crew like Durkin + Victor Radz producing most of it (good looking out).

Stream it above and if you dig it (you will), download it instantly here.

More decent album streams

Rome Fortune – Small VVorld
Flatbush Zombies & The Underachievers – Clockwork Indigo EP
Wu-Tang Clan – A Better Tomorrow