Irish Goodbye

Sort of a cross between Slug, Buck65, and Sage Francis, Mac Lethal is a longstanding figure in the hip-hop underground who first made waves in the Internet-propelled indie-rap era of the early '00s. Hailing from Kansas City, he's well known for his sensitive, autobiographical wordplay and battle-tested flow. (He used to be a regular finalist at Scribble Jam.) Ever since his well-received 2002 debut, he's been hard at work dropping mixtapes, EPs, and collaborations with dozens of obscure and subterranean emcees. Despite his prolific output (including many chapters of his ongoing series Black Clover Presents: Special Reserve), this is only his third official album. (It follows 2007's 11:11, released through Rhymesayers Entertainment.) On Irish Goodbye, he keeps doing what he does best: hitting us with deep and compelling verses that center around relationships, hip-hop, and everyday life, set to diverse production that adds guitars and electronic flourishes to the standard boom-bap. Check out "Vodka Tonic with a Lime," "Black Rainbow," "Happy To Be Living," and "Jake + Olive."