I’ve been gone for a minute! I was swallowed by end-of-the-semester grading and then I escaped to California for a week of vacation but I’m back, starting with a post for First Thursday, my monthly shout-out that I started in order to spread the dope music that I’ve discovered in my many travels + friendships. This month’s artist is pretty new — in fact, they’re releasing their first project on Friday! Composed of my manager, KC (who’s a skilled producer/drummer) and my labelmate Joe Kleanest (who’s a dope guitarist and singer/rapper with whom I’ve rapped before) VZN is a lo-fi psychedelic rap experience that will make you feel warm and welcome. Listen to their first track “Blue Dreams” here and make sure you hit “follow” so you get the update on when the project drops tomorrow.