Philadelphia’s own Shawn Smith (formerly known as Young Savage) has recently released his latest project, his very first album – SINK OR SWIM: A SHAWN SMITH STORY. As you can see from the title, this album deals with Shawn’s life and how the world is seen through his eyes, having deep ties to the rapper’s neighborhood. It does a great job of painting vivid images, making me feel as though I were sort of there at every moment and experience he chooses to show us.

Some of my favorite songs were Beef and Broccoli, Dirft, Just Swim and s. I love the way Shawn is able to use plenty of different flows, while being able to have such catchy bars. You can hear the emotion in his voice, which says a lot for me, especially when thinking of the lyrics to some of these songs.

I definitely have this album on repeat and I won’t be surprised if you end up doing the same. To check out the Shawn Smith Story, you can find it on SoundCloud here.

Written by Alim – follow him on Twitter.