In recent months, Earl Sweatshirt has been an underground-rap beast, and he’s been quick to collaborate with the rappers whose work he admires. Thus far this year, Earl has shown up on songs from Quelle Chris & Chris Keys, Armand Hammer, and incarcerated LA rap great Drakeo The Ruler. Earl has also teamed up with the young North Carolina rapper Maxo on his own song “Whole World.” Today, Earl has once again surfaced on a new song from an underground rap king.

Yesterday, the Brooklyn rapper MIKE self-released his new album Weight Of The World. This continues MIKE’s streak of putting out at least one new LP every year on the same day. MIKE previously released Tears Of Joy in 2019, War In My Pen and Renaissance Man in 2018, and May God Bless Your Hustle in 2017 — all on the day of 6/21. MIKE has been profoundly influenced by Earl Sweatshirt, but in recent years, he’s also been an inspiration to Earl, who has built on MIKE’s murky and staggered sound. They’re a natural combination.

Weight Of The World, MIKE’s new album, is mostly a solo affair; MIKE produced the majority of it under his DJ Blackpower alias. The album also features production from Keiyaa and an appearance from Jadasea, and it ends with the Earl Sweatshirt collab “Allstar,” which has nothing to do with Smash Mouth. Over the hazy MIKE-produced beat, both MIKE and Earl get poetic. Earl: “Water spilling out the Flint faucet, toxic/ Brown skin, a script long as shit/ Short message from the witchdoctor, we all just coalescing/ Or a fist called blessings from the real flockers.” Listen to “Allstar” below.

And here’s the full stream of MIKE’s new album Weight Of The World:

Weight Of The World is out now, and you can get it at Bandcamp.