It’s almost de rigeur for post-Katrina local artists to talk about What Happened—to them, to their people, and to the city in general, naturally delivered with a healthy dose of What It All Means. That’s certainly the case for members of the hip-hop community, and even moreso for one of indie label Media Darling’s biggest stars. Social conscience and intelligence are expected. “By day, he spends his time rebuilding the city,” proclaims the CD’s booklet, as if Know-One was some sort of superhero. But it’s really hip-hop he wants to save. The 23 concise tracks on this, his first disc since the tragedy, are divided into past, present, and future ruminations, and it’s no coincidence that he spends almost twice as much time talking about the classic days of the genre. Being underground and old school is still his main, not-so-secret identity.

As such, there’s a strong R&B flavor running through Know One’s Home, as if he and virtual knob-twirler Quickie Mart realized that familiarity equals calm. The sound is just angular and jazzy enough to qualify as collegiate, but breaking new sonic ground isn’t as important here as quiet reflection, as if this was a musical version of a Road Home hearing. Yet to this MC, the souls of his fellow DJs seem more in danger of decay than the Crescent City, so when Stanton Moore pops up on “Savali… It’s Complicated” and all of Galactic joins in on “Too Much,” it’s less a gambit for musical community than a realization that popping up inadvertently in the musical mainstream carries its own special responsibilities. By day, he rebuilds the city… by night, he becomes Know One, groove vigilante. Few rappers of any scene can pull that one off.