Restless and passionate, but with an unflinching realism at his core, Sims has seen enough of life to know there are no easy answers, and his most recent releases reflect the rapper’s ongoing quest for solid understanding in a society on the brink of dystopia. Setting himself as spokesman for a generation fraught by vapid commercialism, political cynicism, and the paradoxical power of technology to both connect us and drive us apart, Sims seeks a path out of the disappointment that plagues modern life. But while he casts himself as an alienated prophet, make no mistake: Sims’ message is of empowerment, hope, and badass beats. The results are epically infectious. “I draw a lot more from human interaction than I do from music,” he says. “I listen and try to understand how people function.” Like all good writers, Sims has an ear for what makes us human.