Critically acclaimed Chicago-based rapper McKinley Dixon announces his new album, Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?, out on June 2nd. It marks his official full-length debut!

Pre-order/Pre-save Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?—HERE.

He heralds the record with the new single and music video “Run, Run, Run.” Listen and watch HERE. Throwback production propels the track forward with a buoyant beat and jazzy melodies. His deft and dynamic flow bobs and weaves through the soundscape as he promises, “With eyes watching God, my heart stays on…you.” Meanwhile, the accompanying visual combines stylized vignettes of McKinley rapping in the halls of an old building as the janitor launches into showstopping choreography. It ultimately pops off as an arresting and fascinating cinematic clip.

The 10-track Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? unspools as a powerful pastiche of sound and emotion. The title pays homage to Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison’s immortal trilogy of novels who McKinley has previously referred to as “the greatest rapper ever.” As such, he continues her tradition of intense introspection and uplifting escapism with a sobering perspective on the modern American experience. In a similar fashion, he delivers deliberate and dynamic lyricism befitting of her creative cadence. Rounding out the vision, the LP also boasts guest appearances from poet and writer Hanif Abdurraqib, Teller Bank$, Alfred., Ghais Guevara, Anjimile, and Seline Haze, to name a few. See the full Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? tracklisting below.

"The cover of Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? came to fruition when I sent the album to artist Ladon Alex with little to no description,” McKinley says of the album artwork. “I told him to listen to the album and draw what he felt would describe what he heard. What he brought back was this beautiful portrayal of afro futurism. We are both fans of anime and sci-fi, so Ladon created the narrative of this boy inside of a room with his power about to be unleashed. Since the cover is the first thing you see, the album then is presented as the magic that the boy contains. The story unfolds."