British rap legend, Joe Black marks his return to music with a fresh new Voice Of The Streets freestyle on DJ Kenny Allstar’s BBC 1Xtra show. The mellow beat allows the self-proclaimed King of The Underground to exhibit his storytelling forte. Giving fans, old and new an explanation for his absence and a brief history of his journey. It wasn’t long before Kenny Allstar had to reload the beat and get a second take on what we’ve all been missing out on.

Joe Black’s renowned mixtape, King of the Underground was released 10 years ago and featured the tracks ‘Welcome to the Layer Cake’ and ‘Pain.’ Utilising music-streaming sites such as MySpace and dishing out hood videos on YouTube regularly; provided him with a platform to be heard. That, along with his unique storytelling flow and proven street credibility gave the rapper from Islington his legendary status.

Joe Black’s name holds weight in the scene and it isn’t just a gift with words he possesses, he’s founded local artists’ like Squeekz, Benny Banks and Lil’ Torment, who all have had relative success in the hip-hop scene. Rapping on the new freestyle, “Like I never inspired these rappers to write their songs, I’m the truth I really rapped about what I was on, I got up and introduced you to a couple of others.”

Taking a break from music for a couple of years, the rapper has been focusing on scouting in other industries, founding and coaching a youth football squad based in Islington, AC United FC. Addressing his neglect of music Joe Black raps, “Blacks, everyone thinks you’re done with rap, but I’ve been in my community giving something back.”

We hope to hear more music from the North London rapper and eagerly await a new project. You can watch the BBC 1Xtra Voice Of The Streets freestyle below.