Whether you find rapper Kyle unbearably corny or refreshingly genuine, one cannot deny the impact his role has had on modern day hip-hop. Far from the stereotypical rapper, Kyle’s not slinging hyper masculinity or machismo, but instead puts forth a friendly, nerdy, nice guy image and music that’s often bright, poppy, and sweet. And Kyle is a pro at punctuating his earnest rap verses with velvety R&B vocals. (In fact, it’s that very duality—corny and cool, nerdy and smooth—that made Kyle such a perfect casting choice to star as Owen in the 2018 comedy The After Party.)

In early March, Kyle released his seventh studio album, Smyle Again, the sequel to 2015’s Smyle—although the new project doesn’t share a ton of sonic similarities with the first. One of the most notable and impactful tracks on Smyle Again is “Sweetest Thing,” which was written through the pains of grief that helped Kyle process a breakup that happened shortly before the death of his father. Kyle has shared the story about showing up to a studio session scheduled with Shawn Mendes, who created a safe space for him to create something beautiful out of that pain. Kyle’s emotion is raw and palpable on the track, and he can even be heard audibly crying as he shakily delivers the sweet lines he wrote to his father: “Hey, Father, I hope that you're alright/ I got to hold your hand in my dream last night.” Folks should hope to hear a live rendition of the song on the artist's Smyle Live Again tour, along with other album standouts like “Who’s Taking You Home,” and “Somethin Bout You.” We're also hoping for classics and deeper cuts on the setlist. I’ll personally be crossing my fingers to hear Kyle perform danceable 9-year-old bops like “The Force,” “Summertime Soul,” “Really? Yeah!” and the electronic, video game-inspired sonics on “Don’t Want to Fall in Love,” “Endless Summer Symphony,” and the slow-building dance grooves of “All 4 U.” Read more things you should appreciate about Kyle in this Mercury piece.