The Snotty Nose Bastard is back, and he’s a grown man now.

Dante Higgins has been teasing Good Forever, his return to the music and his debut under the Breadwinner Music Group brand, for months now, but the roll-out seemed considerably smaller than it was for his last long player, The Dante Higgins Story. Everything about the album suggests a maturity that Higgins always had but never truly employed until now. It’s apparent in its cover art alone, which pays homage to Spike Lee’s Crooklyn by depicting Higgins sitting next to a young man as though imparting wisdom to him; and in its sound, which utilizes classic instrumentation and even a Marvin Gaye sample (on “Listening to Marvin”). Higgins’ storytelling, his greatest asset, comes alive like never before on Good Forever; and just in case you’re still not sold on what his newest effort has to offer, the Houston emcee has set loose a stream of the project for free .

Assisting Higgins on the journey that is Good Forever as features, Stephanie Bension (aka spoken-word artist “StepheB,” reprising her Mother Goose-esque role from “1986” on the intro title track), Tawn Peron (who appears thrice on the album), M.A.C., C. Stone the Breadwinner, and more make appearances. On the boards, meanwhile, the sounds of Good Forever, come at the hands of 7evin The Producer, Intervals, Killa Tex, B.O.S. (with the country music-esque, sobering “Achilles Heal”), and Charity E. Vaughn (who received high praise on Higgins’ Instagram, with good reason almost solely due to her instrumental on outro “Forever Good”).