In keeping with some “Best Alive” hyperbole, over the past couple years Minnesota rapper One Be Lo has somewhat quietly become the greatest rapper to walk the earth since March 9th, 1997.

Some evidence from “The Axis“:

Every night you hear the bullets blast / Even if you in the suburbs every night, you see the footage flash / across your screen, I’ll tell you my biggest pet peeve / You lookin at it thinkin like, “It don’t affect me” / You livin large I’m thinkin like, “It don’t impress me” / Rockin them chains, Sojourner Truth is tryin to set free

or

In this land of Pocahontas, natives lost to conquest / Your false gods get framed, buffed and polished / If you ask who the prophet, they say Nostradamas

The whole album is an absolute hip hop masterpiece.

UPDATE: His underground solo debut from 2002 just recently received an official release.