Homeboy Sandman

Former high-school teacher and current Brother Ali tourmate Homeboy Sandman has been bubbling in the underground since he first showed up on the scene back in 2007 and has now officially arrived with his first full-length, First of a Living Breed, for current team Stones Throw, which has the Queens, NY-bred lyricist spitting "everyman" yarns with conviction over refreshing production that gives off a throwback De-La vibe. Whether he's looking to "change the world" over Jonwayne's videogame squelches on album opener "Rain," kicking off homeroom correctly on the goofy, "After School Special"-esque "For The Kids" or flowing comfortably over OhNo's sparkling keys on the anthemic self-titled track, Homeboy Sandman cuts through all the bullshit with positivity and deft rhyme schemes to simply tell his story instead of relying on the typical chest-puffing and shit-talking that rap has way too much of already. Too bad there weren't any teachers like this back when I was in school.