In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he was one half of the Micranots, one half of Semi.Official, and a solo artist. But LA-raised, Minneapolis-residing I Self Devine spent the years following 2005's Self Destruction LP relatively quiet. But beginning with his LA State of Mind mixtape in January, the rapper has debuted a total of three mixtapes this year. His fourth tape, The Shining Path, can be streamed below. It's the rare contemporary, politically-oriented hip-hop record that doesn't fall into typical pitfalls. I Self Devine seems to recognize that releasing engaging music is directly tied with making one's ideas heard. The mixtape is also the final release in the lead-up to I Self's official Rhymesayers LP, The Sound of Low Class America. A copy of The Shining Path comes free with a purchase of that album.
Stream: I Self Devine, The Shining Path