Hailing from Detroit, the well-rounded and astute lyricism of rapper Leaf Erikson is a far cry from the trapped-out, unintelligible, autotune style of hip-hop, the kind that all too often overshadows the humanistic storytelling of wordsmiths like Erikson. Having just recently come out with his album Hidden Gems on the Sydney-based label Fifty Records, Erikson’s LP aims to “paint a picture of hop-hop’s resurrection.” Having grown up in such a musical city while showcasing vivid oratory that has not gone unnoticed, he has worked with and performed alongside some of the genre’s best , including, Slum Village, Das EFX, Madlib, Del the Funky Homosapien, Mos Def, Afrika Bambataa, and many more. 

The artist has given XLR8R the opportunity to feature his track “Cypress (feat. Intricate Dialect),” produced by fellow Detroit native Shady EV, as today’s XLR8R download. The track boasts a sleek, jazzy beat with a bouncing, 90s influenced fortitude that both rappers navigate via their smooth, noble and old-school hip-hop demeanor.

You can download the track in full below, and be sure to check out more from Leaf Erikson by visiting his SoundCloud page here.

Purchase the album Hidden Gems by going here.

Cypress feat. Intricate Dialect