With all of the lackluster music that has garnered millions of plays on SoundCloud, there are still gems, and New York’s KuuL is here to prove it. I featured him on my recent compilation tape, but it was no favor to him. It was more of a favor to me, as I’ve been a fan of his music since his first submission.

After releasing a celebrated single produced by the one and only Statik Selektah, KuuL has finally dropped his highly anticipated new album, The Offering. And what an offering it is. Before streaming it in full, I read the press release that KuuL sent himself. He gave his take on what The Offering meant to him. Peep below:

(it is) The sum of my all the setbacks, struggles, trials and tribulations as well as my thoughts and emotions going through the process of offering my fans something special. So with that I offer my life. The Offering.

It’s hard to top that, as KuuL also has the pen game on lock. Nonetheless, I’d like to give my synopsis of the project, and detail how it helped me in my personal life.

The Offering is 9 tracks deep, and explores the mind of KuuL. The first 3 tracks capture his life before rapping, and decision to pursue it. God Bless and Real Shit hit me hard, as KuuL was going through some heavy shit. All he could do at that point in his life was to “put in work, and pray to God.” This has been my mindset for the last year, and has gotten me through the toughest of times.

Real Shit is KuuL’s call to the ones who “feel like their head is underwater.” The following song, Ride To, gives us insight to one of his hardest struggles: working a job he didn’t like, and feeling like a slave to the 9-5 life.

The Man is a total switch up, as KuuL has slowly developed his confidence in his work and life. It’s incredible to hear KuuL’s progression in relationships, income, and sense of self worth. The diversity of production is necessary, as each song captures a different moment in time. It keeps the narrative interesting, and easy to follow.

After playing The Offering through a few times, I was even happier that I included KuuL on my tape. It means so much more to me now, as I hope to find the happiness KuuL has worked hard to achieve.