Los Angeles emcee Jeremy Ian Thomas also known as Surreal is an emcee’s emcee guaranteed to be solidified as one of hip-hop’s clearest voices. We first heard Surreal on “True Indeed” a collaboration effort between the jazz duo Jay & Soulo otherwise known as The Sound Providers. Surreal’s ability to rock an entire album with no features, covering the bases and basics of life, immediately made him a standout.

It didn’t end there though, in 2006, Surreal released his sophomore project “Future Classic” with DJ Balance under the Hip Hop Is Music imprint. During this time Surreal had his hand in a number of records and albums collaborating with the likes of Ohmega Watts, Marco Polo, Braille, Future Shock, Sareem Poems and more. Years down the line we got “Pardon My Dust” a properly curated collection of unreleased content. After “Pardon My Dust” our hero seem to...disappear…

Here we are a decade later, but where has Surreal been? He’s been through film school and with that education, he’s actually directed videos for Denmark Vessey and Oddisee and Brands like Nike and Reebok to name a few. Now a full-time filmmaker, Surreal is fully aware of the transitions and transformation the music industry has endured. However the emcee who grew up in Tampa Bay Florida has been growing and evolving as well.

While we may not have heard a project from Surreal in a decade, he’s been creating this entire time and is getting set to release his “Hello”. “Hello” is a grand return for fans of Surreal, but also a proper reintroduction to people who might’ve missed the first portion of Surreal’s journey in music. With “Hello” right around the corner Surreal plans to show us the full breadth of his work, combining his video experience with his intricate and versatile wordplay to bring the listener an experience we need in these times like these.