It Gets Better

Not actual photo of rapper

Those of us who attended Nerdapalooza got a special treat during the Adam WarRock set. His partner in crime Tribe One – a cat who'll be joining Adam on the latter half of the Race Wars tour – busted out a phenomenal solo joint wherein he rapped over the soundtrack for the Scott Pilgrim video game. Though he used that opportunity to tease us with the concept of his forthcoming Anamanagangsta mixtape, Tribe's debut single actually comes from a different work.

From the Papercutters & Dangling Headphones EP, slated to be released August 22nd, "Different" is odd in that it represents that rare piece of LGBT-friendly hip-hop. But even beyond that it's a beautiful piece of positive, supportive lyricism that reminds us that rap culture is American culture, and that American culture is exquisitely broad. It's a spoonful of hope to help cut that nasty taste that is our current climate of name-calling and finger-pointing.

Since this is another entry from WarRock's month-long parade of sweet new singles, it also comes backed up with b-side "Countdown to Armageddon." It's a story-track from Adam that starts off simple enough but takes an unexpected turn at the end.

Both are well worth your time, but the lead track is what I'd call required listening. Enjoy.