For fans of classic boom-bap beats and indomitable verses sending up the darkest times (don’t be embarrassed, we know you’re out there), here’s a song and video for you.

M-Dot, an acclaimed Italian-American MC from Boston, teams up with Wu-Tang legend Method Man, as well as fellow MC Dominique Larue and singer Katy Gunn, for the stirring "Shine." The three emcees trade spitfire verses on blight and aspiration with Gunn’s frankly-uplifting choruses about overcoming near-impossible odds, resulting in a dark but ultimately timeless and inspirational song that any hip-hop fan will immediately love.

Building off the song’s theme of transcendence, the animated music video (directed by Serbia-based director Slobodan Bokka Medarevic) depicts a stark, dystopian urban world whose protagonists fight police sieges and constant danger to stage an uprising for the future—a theme that, with our present-day concerns of police violence and a society gone awry, feels more relevant now than ever. 

"Shine" is the first single from M-Dot’s upcoming two-part debut album, "Ego and the Enemy." Disc one, which features contributions from game-changing producers like Hi-Tek and Marley Marl, is due for release in early 2016. 

Check out the video for "Shine" above, and stay tuned for part two of the music video, still in the works.