Dahi (formerly known as DJ Dahi) earned his earliest plaques in hip-hop by producing hard-hitting anthems for some of rap’s most respected names: Kendrick Lamar’s breaking-and-entering “Money Trees,” ScHoolboy Q’s rave-ready “Hell of a Night,” Big Sean’s breakup credo “I Don’t Fuck with You,” Drake’s defiant hater-shoving “Worst Behavior.” But the sonic palette for his new album Black Boy (Alternative) is closer to his work on Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride or BANKS’s The Altar; he refers to the sound as “African Radiohead,” a blend of the guitars from ’90s rock with the tribal drums of artists like Fela Kuti. Even that feels like an oversimplification, though, because most of this album defies easy categories of genre, with gorgeously layered vocals, airy soundbeds, emotionally complex lyricism, and lush live instrumentation. Black Boy (Alternative) is best described by how it feels, and that’s free: Kendrick Lamar and Amber Mark share tender harmonies on “How to Pray,” while Childish Gambino’s “Running” plays like a meditative drive across a sunny countryside. Songs like Channel Tres and Vince Staples’ “Who Are You,” Elmiene and Ravyn Lenae’s “Drowning,” and the Jesse Boykins III/Baby Rose/Ant Clemons collab “Stand for Something” carry lyrics that ruminate on the pressures and sacrifices that come with individuality, responsibility, and conviction. But however daunting, there’s a freedom in making the decision to figure it out yourself instead of allowing others to do it for you.