Student 1 is living it up, and it keeps getting better. After serving a string of singles, the Minneapolis-based rapper is back on the scene with his new album, OFFTHEDUST! Mixed by Alex Tumay and mastered by Joe LaPorta, the 10-track album is a collaborative offering with long-time collaborator letmode and is a labor of love and angst. This collaboration grants letmode an elegant center to his extremities, making for stadium-ready sounds that gleefully wind the listener around joyous sudden turns.
Playing with themes of reflective hip-hop paired with in-your-face verses, the 29-minute journey is equal parts wistful and spirited, and student 1 wields his sharpest blade, tearing into new cadences and taunting his habits like his enemies. It is the calm and collected braggadocio of an artist wholly prepared to stay true to himself and his roots, built around a sonic background that is infectious in its understated approach.
Student 1 spoke on the album sharing, “this project is just two people going as hard as humanly possible to master the art of making shit that slaps.” Student 1’s distinctive brand of hip-hop finds its strength in vulnerability, turning bouts of lyrical self-reflection into a sonic voyage that is greater than the sum of its parts. OFFTHEDUST! is faithful to its spirit and not for the faint of heart. Addiction looms, struggles ensue, and growth is inevitable. This album is not an answer but an effort to move forward.
Stream OFFTHEDUST! below.
