Maylay Sparks debuts on SpitFireHipHop with his “The Rebel’s Renaissance” album.

An icon of Philadelphia’s indie-rap scene, Maylay Sparks (fka Rahsheed) has been holding it down in Copenhagen, Denmark for over a decade and carving out his space as an international Hip-Hop giant. That much is evident on his fifth full-length album, The Rebel’s Renaissance, his latest project that demonstrates both maturity and street wisdom.

The ten tracks on here combine for a cohesive, structured effort built on timeless instrumentals and a pen-game that has been consistently sharpened for more than 20 years. And Maylay makes his efforts clear on opener “Sleepless,” a brassy banger produced by Slovenian trio Urban Click (who worked with the MC on the 2011 EP Truckdriver Fortuneteller). Their strong instrumental game can be heard elsewhere (“Another Bottle” and standout “Protocol” feat. Rasco & El Da Sensei) while Koolade, DJ Connect, Sakke, and Ruzbeatz round out the production lineup.