(G)nosis

Rapper (G)nosis’s new album, The Midnight Drifter LP, is conscious but not preachy, deep but not overwrought, forward-thinking but not inaccessible. More impressive, there aren’t any bad songs to be found here, and that’s most certainly a feat for such a lyrically ambitious project. On Midnight Drifter, (G)nosis challenges you to think at his level — a risky move, because if he’d failed, then the record would have been boring. Fortunately, the gamble paid off, and that’s precisely what makes this a better-than-average listen. Tonally, the record ranges from conversational to prophetic, and thematically, the rapper is nearly as diverse. The release is on the short side, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing in these ADD-riddled times.