Sicilian-born, Queens-repping Jak Danielz is no new jack, yet he’s likely a new name to most outside of the East Coast. This cat’s discography is so sparse that you’d be hard pressed to find his releases (other than his new album) on store shelves. Released by San Francisco’s renowned Bomb imprint, this 14-track effort is a solid introduction to Danielz, the hip-hop purist with a heavy New York accent and an urgent flow. When joined by Juice Crew member Craig G on the thunderous banger “Hip Hop Manual,” Danielz proves that battle rap still has a place in hip-hop, even if only on an underground level. Not every punchline-centric track holds up quite as well here, but Danielz offers lyrical variety by rhyming about growing up an overweight outcast in Queens-not something your average tough-talking MC would readily cop to these days.