Recently, the team from Digital Good Times, a popular local podcast focused on examining the intersection between technology and Atlanta arts and culture, was interviewed by CBS46 about the city’s emerging tech industry. Late last night, in celebration of the video passing 3000 views, rapper, producer, and DGT co-founder Emman Twe, a.k.a. Small Eyez, released a new track called — what else? — “3000.”

Considering the title and the timing, you could be forgiven for expecting something loose and spontaneous. Instead, Small Eyez sounds as locked-in as ever, unleashing a fiery torrent of rhymes that pay homage to the various parts of his personality — the wily poet, the comic book nerd, the third-eye seeker, the lover of thick women. Still, while his ability to seamlessly weave a wide array of cultural references is certainly impressive, it’s his cadence and his gift for stringing together clever word-sound collages that make the cut stick. Although the track clocks in at a scant 2:13, Small Eyez’s verbal gymnastics remain on full display as he casually spits lines like “Splish splashing, intense smashing and chip cashing / Pokerface, fiddlesticks, poppycock, body rock, bangarang / Baklava, dangling my chakras.”

And then, of course, there are his production skills. “3000” opens playfully with a skittish beat and a sample of a woman singing about cyberspace, the internet, and virtual reality in a manner that recalls a ’60s radio jingle. But when the verse drops, the atmosphere shifts into something more elastic and taut. There are hints of modern trap in the drums, but the funky groove and autumnal nuances lift the track into an entirely different plane where present sensibilities are melded with the eclectic spirit of legacy acts like De La Soul. It’s a fantastic effort, a celebratory stroke of inspired hip-hop that highlights one of the city’s brightest and most enterprising voices. Listen below.

More Info
Bandcamp: smalleyez.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @smalleyez
SoundCloud: @small_eyez
Twitter: @SmallEyez