Sean Born makes no fuss over what he’s about. The DMV native spits street tales from a very personal perspective and his Behind The Scale LP from earlier in 2012 was testament to that. Though judging one of its standout tracks by its title, “DrugsAlcoholSex”, may be a bit deceiving.

Instead of boasts and brags about sexual debauchery with drugs and drink, Sean Born crafts a nuanced and vivid song that immediately starts with the laundry list of challenges for a particular kind of young man in DC. Over a beat as gritty as Sean’s raspy voice, the Low Budget representative is not apologetic or dramatic about what he shares—blowing down sour diesel, throwing up vodka and cooking up powder into butter—but that deadpan honesty paired with his raw MCing is what allows the song to transcend. He knows the game is rigged, he makes no illusions about being a drug lord (though he’s not a scrub either) but this is life. Late in the song Sean confesses that he spits “science from the sun,” though he still ends the track “fuckin something ‘fore I’m puffin.”

Aesthetically, the song is just as great as it is thematically. Sean’s voice is gruff and mush-mouthed without compromising clarity and Dunc (of DMTD) creates a canvas that feels as cold as winter in the capital.

iTunes: Behind the Scale – Sean Born