Diverse, Escape Earth

In 2003, Diverse released his solo debut, One A.M., to critical acclaim. In the years that followed, many wondered what happened to the lyrically rich MC who emerged from the City of Broad Shoulders as one of the more gifted artists independent hip-hop had to offer. Well, wonder no more, for Diverse has triumphantly returned with tales of interstellar exploits on “Escape Earth.”

Expertly produced by Lupe Fiasco collaborator, Derrick “Drop” Braxton, “Escape Earth” paints a picture of an intergalactic traveler who has literally “been around the world.” Our astronaut has ventured into the great beyond and seen a once-innocent planet Earth from his humbling vantage point among the stars. “So broad, I stand here in awe, like I been thinking small when reasoning is so far away,” Diverse raps of his travels and the ultimate realization that, “It’s so vast, most of it unchartered, we’re just a small part of something that’s much larger.”

“I’ve been blessed to have done a fair amount of travel in my day,” Diverse told Anthem magazine of Los Angeles back in 2003. “And through that travel, I’ve been able to see other places and see how the experience of residing in other places can help cultivate and mature your perspective.” Such understanding and the life encompassing it has come to fruition in “Escape Earth.” The spaceway voyager is home.