Stitch Early

AUSTIN, Texas — Spiritually Touching Individuals Through Christ’s Hands Early.

That’s what Frederick hip-hop artist Lorenzo Nichols will tell you if you ask him what his stage name means. On this Tuesday afternoon, however, it could also stand for, “man who forgot shoes.”

After spending the early parts of the day working on the cover art for his upcoming EP, “The Great Compromise,” Nichols is ready to venture from his hotel room at the Courtyard Austin Northwest back downtown to get ready for his single 15-minute showcase at the Bat Bar on Sixth Street.

The problem? He was hoping to wear a maroon pair of Greats sneakers and not the black ones currently protecting his massive feet from the heat. Upon his return, the 32-year-old is asked why he prefers Greats over Nikes or Adidas, or, well, anything else, really.

“Because anything I love is going to be great,” he only half-jokes.

“Great” is the word of the day for Nichols and his traveling companion, Brian Closs. Not only does it describe his preference in shoe brand, but it also sits at the center of perhaps the trip’s most poignant moment.

Before making their way into the center of South By Southwest, the duo stops at the city’s Baylor Street Art Wall, where bricks upon bricks of graffiti pile on top of each other, ascending in height like a fortress protecting a castle in which Banksy might live.

They scale their way to the top and the view is tremendous. A sea of color surrounds them like an old school hip-hop fever dream while the city of Austin sprawls before them, ready to be conquered. Scattered on the ground are cans of spray paint. Nichols grabs a shade of blue before stopping for about three seconds to take in a phrase someone already sprayed on a wall in front of him.

“Live a great story.”

His deep voice chuckles as he subliminally shakes his head. He moves up one more tier and begins spraying letters over concrete.

S-T-I-T-C-H. E-A-R-L-Y.

Later on, over a pre-showcase food-truck meal, Nichols shrugs off the weight of his impending performance.

“As long as I go on stage and give my 1,000 percent best,” he explains while chewing on a pork slider, “whatever happens after that, I can be cool with because I gave it my all.”

Almost on cue, two things happen: First, he receives a text message from his parents, wishing him luck for later that night. Secondly, a man approaches the picnic table, immediately disclosing that he’s quite drunk. He rambles on about the human race, allowing whatever alcohol intake consuming his body to force a sense of misplaced wisdom upon his words.

Instead of acting abruptly, Nichols listens intently. He responds with thoughtful answers, responsible and kind.

He’s a guy who talks with his hands and never leaves a single stone unturned once you dare ask him to address whatever pebble might be in play. Mention a single topic and he’s off, preaching what he practices before, inevitably, practicing what he preaches. You can understand why people would warm to him, yet somehow it endears each time you see it happen.

Within 10 minutes, the stranger’s mind is enough at ease that he’s on his way, ready to cross the busy street that separates him from another drink. After a handful of minutes, it’s time to move on and the Frederick rapper laughs.

“This happens to me all the time,” he says, looking at Closs. “I don’t know what it is. Everywhere I go, people just come talk to me. It’s never been weirder than in Austin, though.”

Nichols eventually makes it back to his white Kia rental. He needs to change his outfit before heading to the Bat Bar for the night. During a quick call to his wife, a misunderstanding about the time difference between Texas and Maryland results in Nichols saying, “Thank you. I love you.” He straps on his Icon Natn backpack. He’s ready to go. He’s about to step into his moment.

Soundcheck is scheduled for 6 p.m., but it’s at least a half-hour after that before Nichols even recognizes anyone he’s supposed to talk to in order to obtain information about the night in front of him. Before long, it becomes clear that any possibility of a pre-show run-through is dwindling by the minute. The showcase is set to begin at 7, but 15 minutes before that, the backing DJ isn’t even done unpacking his gear.

A Bob Marley mix is blasting through the house system. Nichols and Closs sit at a table top, saying nary a word to one another. The former keeps looking around him with equal parts curiosity and confidence, while the latter won’t detach his eyes from the Instagram account on his iPhone. An acoustic version of “Three Little Birds” begins to soundtrack the bar.

“Don’t worry,” the fallen reggae legend sings, almost hauntingly. “About a thing. Because every little thing. Gonna be all right.”

It’s a tender moment, one that calls back to something Nichols said earlier in the day.

“It says in the Bible: ‘Do not be afraid of the faces,’” he explained. “So, I’m not. People are going to say, ‘How was the show?’ And I’m going to be like … .”

He stops for a fraction of a second and grins. - Frederick News Post

AUSTIN, Texas — “I’m a firm believer of speaking things into reality.”

This is what Frederick hip-hop artist Lorenzo Nichols says as he walks up East Sixth Street under the hot Austin sun, adding instantly that he knows you can’t achieve as much unless you put in the work to accompany the belief. You can talk all you want, he advocates, but without any effort, all you get is words.

Nichols, more commonly known by his stage name Stitch Early, is playful as he readies himself for his one and only 15-minute showcase at this year’s South By Southwest music conference and festival.

His time in the spotlight comes tonight. It could happen at any point between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m., and it’s part of something called the Dope Dealer Tour. The venue will be the Bat Bar, in the heart of all the Sixth Street action. Nichols was hoping to land something — anything — else to help justify spending the hundreds upon hundreds of dollars it takes to get here as an independent solo artist, but no such luck has occurred.

Instead, this is all he’s got. One thousand, five hundred and seventeen miles. Fifteen minutes.

His is one of 20 names on the party poster, and that number keeps fluctuating by the text message. Chances are, a best-case scenario means that he’ll get the callback to do it again next year. Worst-case scenario ... well, Lorenzo Nichols doesn’t deal in those.

“Last year, I told everybody, ‘Next year, I will be going to South By Southwest,’” he explains, with his near-perfect smile making the glare from the sun that much more blinding. “Then, in January, I got the message, and here I am. This is just one opportunity, but I want it to turn into more down the line. Next year, I want every show to be with my band.’”

It might be easy to confuse the rapper’s conviction with arrogance, but that would be a disservice to both the performer and the man. You see, Nichols is a faith-based artist.

Ask him about it and he’ll be somewhat evasive.

“It’s like when people say I’m an African-American hip-hop artist,” he has explained. “That’s true. I’m black and I’m a hip-hop artist. So, when people say I’m a Christian hip-hop artist, I say, yeah, that’s true, too. I am a Christian and I am a hip-hop artist.”

Nichols also holds strong enough to his beliefs that you can find an ample number of religious references in his work, most notably in the lyrical fabric of his upcoming EP, “The Great Compromise.”

Naturally, then, whenever you bring up the fact that he came all this way, ostensibly for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot at only marginal exposure, and he shakes off the implicit negativity with overt positivity.

It’s hard to feel like he’s not coming by it honestly. Even on a day like today, when the temperatures approach 90 degrees, and he’s scouring the streets of Austin in brown pants and a denim blue button-up, sweating through almost all of it, he laughs off the observation of torture.

“It’s all right,” Nichols says. “The breeze feels good.”

That doesn’t mean he’s not tired, though.

Arriving in Texas on Sunday with a protége of sorts, 19-year-old Brian Closs, the pair left Frederick by car at about 6 a.m. Saturday to set up shop at the Brooklyn, New York, stop of the Southern Lights tour, selling items from Nichols’ clothing line, The Natn, and helping spread the word about both the guy’s music and his message.

They left New York at about 11 p.m. that night to arrive at Reagan National Airport for a 6:45 a.m. flight on Sunday. Upon arriving in the Lone Star State that afternoon, they raced to their hotel room and crashed.

Monday, though? Monday is all about business. After some ice cream at Amy’s Ice Creams, Nichols and Closs foot-patrol the heart of South By Southwest, wandering through the Austin Convention Center, marching up and down Sixth Street, handing out everything from business cards to ball caps. No matter the response, both guys walk away from each interaction with their heads high, as though “I’m not interested” stands on the same social shelf as “Thanks, I’ll check it out.”

Optimism isn’t just a word in the pair’s vocabulary; it’s a virtue through which they see the world.

So much so, in fact, that now they’re now heading back to their room at the Marriott in North Austin in the rental car they picked up at the airport.

Nichols is traveling there to rehearse for his singular shining moment and on his way, through a bevy of highway traffic, he blasts the songs from his upcoming EP through the speakers. It’s so loud that conversation is impossible. He’s in the zone. He’s memorizing the memorizations.

Arriving in their home away from home, neither bed is made: Turns out someone left the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the room’s doorknob and forgot to take it off before setting out for the day. No matter. Closs sprawls out on his unmade mattress while Nichols turns on a portable speaker. Before you know it, music fills the room with nary a word spoken. The song “Free,” from his only previous release, “All Rise,” bubbles up and overtakes the walls.

He changes shirts. Faces the door. And eases himself into the umpteenth time he’s practiced this set with an apprehensive mumble of his first two or three lines. By the time line four comes around, however, Stitch Early has arrived. Stitch Early is working.

Working, hard as ever, toward once again making his words a reality. - Frederick News Post

AUSTIN, Texas — Spiritually Touching Individuals Through Christ’s Hands Early.

That’s what Frederick hip-hop artist Lorenzo Nichols will tell you if you ask him what his stage name means. On this Tuesday afternoon, however, it could also stand for, “man who forgot shoes.”

After spending the early parts of the day working on the cover art for his upcoming EP, “The Great Compromise,” Nichols is ready to venture from his hotel room at the Courtyard Austin Northwest back downtown to get ready for his single 15-minute showcase at the Bat Bar on Sixth Street.

The problem? He was hoping to wear a maroon pair of Greats sneakers and not the black ones currently protecting his massive feet from the heat. Upon his return, the 32-year-old is asked why he prefers Greats over Nikes or Adidas, or, well, anything else, really.

“Because anything I love is going to be great,” he only half-jokes.

“Great” is the word of the day for Nichols and his traveling companion, Brian Closs. Not only does it describe his preference in shoe brand, but it also sits at the center of perhaps the trip’s most poignant moment.

Before making their way into the center of South By Southwest, the duo stops at the city’s Baylor Street Art Wall, where bricks upon bricks of graffiti pile on top of each other, ascending in height like a fortress protecting a castle in which Banksy might live.

They scale their way to the top and the view is tremendous. A sea of color surrounds them like an old school hip-hop fever dream while the city of Austin sprawls before them, ready to be conquered. Scattered on the ground are cans of spray paint. Nichols grabs a shade of blue before stopping for about three seconds to take in a phrase someone already sprayed on a wall in front of him.

“Live a great story.”

His deep voice chuckles as he subliminally shakes his head. He moves up one more tier and begins spraying letters over concrete.

S-T-I-T-C-H. E-A-R-L-Y.

Later on, over a pre-showcase food-truck meal, Nichols shrugs off the weight of his impending performance.

“As long as I go on stage and give my 1,000 percent best,” he explains while chewing on a pork slider, “whatever happens after that, I can be cool with because I gave it my all.”

Almost on cue, two things happen: First, he receives a text message from his parents, wishing him luck for later that night. Secondly, a man approaches the picnic table, immediately disclosing that he’s quite drunk. He rambles on about the human race, allowing whatever alcohol intake consuming his body to force a sense of misplaced wisdom upon his words.

Instead of acting abruptly, Nichols listens intently. He responds with thoughtful answers, responsible and kind.

He’s a guy who talks with his hands and never leaves a single stone unturned once you dare ask him to address whatever pebble might be in play. Mention a single topic and he’s off, preaching what he practices before, inevitably, practicing what he preaches. You can understand why people would warm to him, yet somehow it endears each time you see it happen.

Within 10 minutes, the stranger’s mind is enough at ease that he’s on his way, ready to cross the busy street that separates him from another drink. After a handful of minutes, it’s time to move on and the Frederick rapper laughs.

“This happens to me all the time,” he says, looking at Closs. “I don’t know what it is. Everywhere I go, people just come talk to me. It’s never been weirder than in Austin, though.”

Nichols eventually makes it back to his white Kia rental. He needs to change his outfit before heading to the Bat Bar for the night. During a quick call to his wife, a misunderstanding about the time difference between Texas and Maryland results in Nichols saying, “Thank you. I love you.” He straps on his Icon Natn backpack. He’s ready to go. He’s about to step into his moment.

Soundcheck is scheduled for 6 p.m., but it’s at least a half-hour after that before Nichols even recognizes anyone he’s supposed to talk to in order to obtain information about the night in front of him. Before long, it becomes clear that any possibility of a pre-show run-through is dwindling by the minute. The showcase is set to begin at 7, but 15 minutes before that, the backing DJ isn’t even done unpacking his gear.

A Bob Marley mix is blasting through the house system. Nichols and Closs sit at a table top, saying nary a word to one another. The former keeps looking around him with equal parts curiosity and confidence, while the latter won’t detach his eyes from the Instagram account on his iPhone. An acoustic version of “Three Little Birds” begins to soundtrack the bar.

“Don’t worry,” the fallen reggae legend sings, almost hauntingly. “About a thing. Because every little thing. Gonna be all right.”

It’s a tender moment, one that calls back to something Nichols said earlier in the day.

“It says in the Bible: ‘Do not be afraid of the faces,’” he explained. “So, I’m not. People are going to say, ‘How was the show?’ And I’m going to be like … .”

He stops for a fraction of a second and grins.

“It was great.” - Frederick Playlist

Welcome to “Iconoclasts.” In our introductory blog, we promised that we would put together a creative conglomerate and highlight the trailblazing individuals bringing artistic color to this drab world. With the “Iconoclasts” series, we will be introducing to you the stories of the modern day DaVincis; the stories of those innovators that are painting the world’s canvas with their own unique colors and hues. If you know of a visionary, an artist or a revolutionary that deserves to have their story told and their name known, drop me a line. All my contact info is at the bottom of this blog. So, without further ado, we present you: “Iconoclasts.”

For our first installment of “Iconoclasts,” we are incredibly fortunate to showcase a multi-talented, successful and well established polymath from right here in our own beloved DMV. Lorenzo Nichols is a nationally recognized rapper and CEO based out of Frederick, MD. Nichols is young, successful, well renowned and most importantly, driven by a positive message of inspiration that he beautifully conveys throughout his art.

Nichols, whose hip-hop alias is “STITCH Early,” has been in Maryland for 16 years honing his craft. He was born into a military family and spent much of his formative years moving from place to place. His family not only lived in many locations throughout the USA, but he also spent substantial time overseas in Germany and Japan. Nichols’ upbringing no doubt had a significant influence on his craft. Military motifs of duty, dedication and service can be seen throughout much of his work. Because of a medical condition, his mother was told she would not have any children. Yet, despite the odds, his parents were blessed with a son who would leave his mark on this world. Nichols could be considered a miracle baby, and perhaps this inspires his religious nature. His faith permeates effervescently through much of his art.

Nichols has been rapping for over ten years. His alias, STITCH Early, is an acronym of “Spiritually Touching Individuals Through Christ” Early, harkening back to his deep-rooted faith and religious belief. STITCH loosely classifies his music as “Christian Hip-Hop,” but his raps aren’t overtly religious or Christian. You might not hear his songs on Sunday at church, but it’s more about the message than the actual words. STITCH’s music is very different from a lot of the shallow, meaningless hip hop out there right now. His music has a positive message of hope, upheaval and overcoming adversity. STITCH hopes his music is “a tool to inspire people.” His lyrics are inspired by his own trials and tribulations as well as the trials and tribulations of his family, friends and community which taught him “what to do and what not to do.” STITCH advises his fans, “Whatever you’re going through, push through and persevere.”

It’s hard to classify his music under one specific sound or genre. “Because I moved around so much, I was never tied down to one style,” STITCH explains. His family is originally from Queens, New York so he puts heavy emphasis on lyrics. Because he spent much of his youth in North Carolina, there is an undeniable Deep South influence. As you listen to his music, don’t be surprised to also hear flavors of jazz, trap music, soul and boom bap. Some of STITCH’s musical inspirations include Nas, Jay-Z, OutKast, Lupe Fiasco and No Limit, yet his sound and his flow are intrinsically unique and unparalleled. STITCH Early writes all his own lyrics and collaborates with his friend and producer, Jon Green, to create an incredibly unique sound. The beats are perfectly complementary to the passionate lyrics, evoking a rich, jazzy, eclectic canvass upon which the rapper can paint his lyrics. Along with his videographer Christian Phillips, STITCH has also put out a few music videos available on YouTube. His videos are simple yet poignant and continue the symbolism and themes that courses through his music. The videos also have heavy social and political undertones. For his videos STITCH prefers a cleaner more streamlined look. Two videos stand out: “Wave” and “Free.”

The video for “Free” is very simple and features STITCH standing and rapping in front of a large screen that is projecting famous boxing matches, both real and fictional. “Free tells two stories,” STITCH explains. The imagery is symbolic of the struggles we all have to face and overcome in life. It tells the story of our fight against the enemies of adversity and doubt, both from within and without. The video for “Wave” is slightly more in depth, yet maintains the same message of inspiration, change and upheaval. Heavily inspired by the current political and social state of our country, “Wave” uses subtle imagery to convey the relevant message of inspiration and hope. STITCH’s growing fame and popularity earned him a spot to perform at “South by Southwest” last Tuesday March 15 in front of a packed house at The Bat Bar in Houston, Texas. STITCH has two EP’s to his name. “All Rise” his first EP, was released in 2014. STITCH is gearing up for the release of his second EP, “The Great Compromise.” The album will officially debut at the EP Release Show right here in Frederick, MD on Saturday March 26. To buy your tickets to the show, or to check out STITCH’s music and videos, visit stitchearly.com

To complement the budding music career, Nichols is also the founder, CEO and lead designer for the burgeoning fashion line “Icon Natn.” The word “ICON” is an abbreviation of “Inspiration Carries Our Nation,” calling back to the theme of inspiration which encapsulates Nichols’ message throughout his work and life. Originally “ICON” stood for “It’s Christ or Nothing,” paying homage to Nichols’ deep-rooted faith and religious devotion. The “Natn,” is pronounced like the word “Nation.” Icon Natn was started by Nichols and his partners in 2009 in Frederick, MD. Along with fellow lead designer Brian Closs, Nichols designs “Clothes for everyday people.” Like his music, Nichols is a proponent of a cleaner, streamlined, more minimalist style. A shirt from Icon Natn will never be loaded with pictures or graphics. Every stich, every line, every image is carefully thought out and executed to keep with the overreaching themes of inspiration and hope and love. The lion’s head, which is prominent in many designs and products, symbolizes strength, honor, courage and royalty, all of which are themes that permeate through all of Nichols’ contributions. Just like with his music, Nichols aspires to spread inspiration through his clothing line. Ever the entrepreneur, Nichols realizes the cross-marketing opportunities between his music and his fashion line, especially with the similar message and motif.

Icon Natn currently produces tees, caps, beanies, hoodies, windbreakers and backpacks. The headwear seems to be their most popular items, with many caps and beanies long sold out and waiting lists growing to accommodate new customers. Nichols, along with partners Mark Billups and Marcus Sampson, is hard at work planning out the upcoming 2016 Spring and Summer line, which promises to expand The Natn’s influence in the fashion world even further. Despite growing popularity and demand, Icon Natn stays true to its humble roots. “Everyone [involved with Icon Natn] has their own unique style...” and everyone involved contributes from their personal style to the Natn, giving their apparel a distinctive and eclectic look. Even the “models” are just friends and family of Nichols and his partners, bypassing the hackneyed approach of hiring professional models for the more personal and relatable approach. Be sure to visit the-natn.com to browse Icon Natn’s variety of apparel and see what suits your style.

In addition to being an ambitious CEO, a popular rapper and a promising fashion designer, Nichols is also a professional Graphic Designer, a loving and devoted father and husband and an influential residential counselor for at-risk youths in his community. With the strong messages and symbols of hope, inspiration and overcoming adversity in all his work, Nichols’ dedication to his message is a refreshing reminder of the power of hope and hard-work in an increasingly hypocritical and cruel world. Despite his success, Nichols is always looking ahead and planning the next phase of his attack. He hopes to have his own facility for Icon Natn in addition to a line of stores for retail of Icon Natn. His plans also include a tour for his hip-hop career and, eventually, opening up his own restaurant. But above all, Nichols wants to “show love” and use his many avenues of influence to “Be in a position to put other people in a position.” With his perseverance, growing success and social awareness, Nichols is a true inspiration to his community who always shows promise of bigger and better things yet to come. Be sure to check out Lorenzo Nichols, a.k.a. STITCH Early on Instagram and Twitter at @stitchearly.

And, as always, if you don't know, now you know. - Mojaf

Editor’s note: During Black History Month, News-Post reporters are profiling black leaders in the areas of business, law enforcement, arts and education in Frederick County.

Frederick rapper Lorenzo Nichols, known on stage as Stitch Early, is on a mission to inspire.

Nichols, 31, has been rapping for more than 10 years. He is considered a Christian rapper but said he writes his music with everyone in mind.

The EP he released last summer, “All Rise,” was an inspirational project designed to make people feel motivated to develop their own talents, he said.

“I see where my family came from, and I see where they’re at now,” Nichols said. “It’s an inspiration to me, so then for me to me not to inspire other people, I would be missing something.”

His mother emigrated as a young girl from the poverty-stricken Panamanian city of Colón, and his father grew up in the notorious Brownsville housing projects in Brooklyn, New York.

“If you look at the stereotype of who they should have been and who they are now, it doesn’t add up,” Nichols said.

His father served in the military. The family moved to Frederick from Japan in 1999. Nichols’ brother went on to law school and worked on Wall Street for a time.

The journey his family took from its humble beginnings plays into Nichols’ drive to inspire people with his music, he said.

Nichols became interested in music while he was in Japan. He was influenced by acts like Outkast, Jay-Z, Nas, Lupe Fiasco and DMX. He honors his predecessors on the “All Rise” EP, reworking lines from Outkast and Method Man in his own tracks.

DMX, with his violent lyrics, might seem a strange model for a Christian rapper, and in fact, Nichols’ mom even broke his copy of “It’s Dark and Hell is Hot” because she didn’t want what she felt was a bad influence in her house.

However, the prayers included at the end of that album opened Nichols’ eyes to new possibilities.

“A lot of people think it’s funny when I tell them the first person I ever heard rap about God was DMX,” Nichols said.

Musically, Nichols’ goal for his first solo record was to avoid pigeonholing himself. He wanted to offer a little of everything, from introspective tracks to occasional live instrumentation, he said, to introduce his audiences to the different aspects of his personality. That will set the stage, he said, to be able to explore different styles in the future.

The drive to avoid being boxed in may have had an unconscious connection to growing up African-American, he said, and his parents teaching him that he didn’t have to fit society’s low expectations of black men.

“At a young age, I knew about racism and things of that nature,” Nichols said, and his parents “made sure to make me aware of my heritage and my history. ... It allows me to be a little bit more open.”

“All Rise” got attention online, but even more important than that, Nichols said, was feedback from listeners.

People have contacted him telling him they listen to “Feel Good Everyday” in the morning to start their day in a good mood, he said. That impact has meant a lot to him.

“When I look at ‘All Rise,’ I feel like it was a successful project,” he said.

Nichols has big plans for the future. He is working to promote his clothing line, Icon Natn. He will try to release a new EP this spring and hopes to line up a tour.

“Things are really starting to pick up. I’m traveling more,” he said, noting that he will have shows in West Virginia, Charlotte, North Carolina and New York. - Kelsi Loos

The line that stands out to me on Stitch's "Free" is also the perfect one to describe this whole under 1,000 shtick; "Look at where they going not where they are". With only 198 followers, its safe to stay Stitch, is definitely in the early stages of a promising rap career, but if he can bring more efforts like "Free" (featured last week) he will go very, very far. I love the way this tune progresses. It has a really nice ebb and flow to it and I love the way the verse builds to the explosive hook. When the beat really starts knocking, pair with his fiery flow, it's hard to resist; great energy. So yeah, I'm looking at where he is, but definitely have an eye on the future. You can check out his project, All Rise (which includes "Free") via bandcamp. - Lucas Garrison

The truly great aren’t born that way; more often than not, they have to struggle against staggering odds to claim their place at the top. On new single and DJBooth debut Free, indie rhymesayer Stitch Early reminds us not to judge someone’s potential based on their humble appearance: “Look at where they goin’, not where they are / You never know; you might just find a star.” The Frederick, Maryland repper proves his point with a series of lyrical character studies, delivered over Jon Green‘s cowbell-heavy percussion and sampled flute harmonies. Fans can find Free and much more on Stitch’s All Rise LP, available on Bandcamp for a price of your choosing. - Richard

“Maybe you should call women hoes / And talk about drinkin’ liquor / How your money long / Make your ego look bigger / How you tote the steel / And ain’t scared to pull the trigger / And forget being creative / Just end every line with n—.”

This comes at almost exactly the halfway point on Stitch Early’s latest set, “The Great Compromise” — “Com,” which is the sixth of 12 tracks. If there’s one way to sum up the difference between this and 2014’s “All Rise,” it’s that very passage. For one, it’s probably the only time you’d ever have to censor a Stitch Early song on pop radio.

But also, it’s indicative of the evolution of the rapper born Lorenzo Nichols. “The Great Compromise” is dark. Consciously darker, in fact, than anything else he’s ever put on record. He’s always erred toward conceptuality throughout his releases and this is no different. Yet here, the music goes to places you just never really thought he’d travel while the lyrics address the complexities attached to one’s struggle with faith. It’s not entirely surprising, considering how he can be identified as a faith-based artist, but the length to which he goes in order to unearth a level of struggle that isn’t easy to address is impressive, if not unequivocally admirable.

Tracks like the aforementioned satan-inspired “Com” prove as much. At 91 seconds, it only really serves as a bridge to the decidedly sunny “Mos Def,” but it’s cutting in the way it condemns played-out stereotypes that have, for too long, plagued mainstream hip-hop in the modern day. It’s also a bold move from an artist who isn’t historically in the business of pillory.

Perhaps more dour is the atmospheric “Cordless,” which receives help from Andrew Bromhal, of Silent Old Mtns. fame, on the track’s hook and makeshift bridge. Musically, it recalls pre-“Encore” Eminem, the way the beat drives forward with a simple-yet-ragged snare drum. Even the refrain — “They think that they can break you/Remember they ain’t make you” — has a Marshall Mathers singsong vibe to it. It’s a rare turn into dour colors from an artist that typically thrives under brightness.

None of this, however, is to say that such shine isn’t occasionally present here. Single “Wave” is a different kind of accessible for Nichols, whose pop-hop takes a Southern, more roots turn. Lyrically, he’s as good as he’s ever been, but instead of the African drums and faux horns that appeared on a song like “Free,” “Wave” kicks up the cadence’s speed and the hook provides a new blend of bounce for the North Carolina native. As the production fades throughout the track’s final 25 seconds and Nichols is left to fill the space with an a cappella flow, it ostensibly announces his arrival as a next-level wordsmith.

Also more ebullient is the aforementioned “Mos Def,” which is perhaps the set’s most infectious moment. Flanked by a beat that slithers more than it slides, the MC knows his way around a chorus with the “M-O-S-D-E-F-inately” being his most lasting concoction to date. Plus, whenever the drums silence themselves, allowing Nichols to groove with only some synths and a bass line, he sounds more hungry than he’s ever sounded. It’s an energy that’s been added to his arsenal only recently and it’s decidedly delicious.

If you still aren’t sure, check the inspiring “Benchwarmers/Sleep,” which feels more New York-inspired than the rest of what’s here. Beginning with a minute-and-a-half monologue on the value of unconditional support, it ultimately blossoms into a beat that wouldn’t be out of place on a Talib Kweli mixtape. It’s a sharp contrast from opener “Higher,” which echoes production values that highlight Atlanta-infused ethos and might even make someone like Future smile.

Yet let there be no mistake that Stitch Early winds up with the last laugh. Because with “The Great Compromise,” the process of evolution is front and center, and while so many artists strive to continually grow, very rarely do they pull it off with as much competence and fearlessness as this guy does here. It kind of even makes you wonder where he might go for album No. 3, whenever that comes around.

For now, though, we have these dozen tracks. And with them, Lorenzo Nichols need not worry about compromising anything for a long, long time. - Colin McGuire