Devin The Dude is a Houston rap legend who’s also a sly, funny everyman. Devin had a few brushes with the mainstream in the early ’00s, but he’s spent most of his career — decades of it — quietly cranking out underground albums. A few of those albums, like 1998’s The Dude and 2002’s Just Tryin’ Ta Live, are classics. Most of them, however, are merely very good. Today, we get another very good one.

Devin just released a new album called Soulful Distance — and yes, that title is a “social distance” pun. The new album is another collection of warm, hazy, gently melodic slow-rolling jams with softly sung hooks and atmosphere for days. Plenty of fellow Houston rap veterans make guest appearances, including Big Pokey, Lil Keke, and Tony Mac. But the name that immediately got my attention was Scarface.

Scarface, quite possibly the greatest rapper in history, has been making music with Devin for decades. Last year, Scarface had a scary brush with COVID, and a few months ago, he was talking about how he needs a new kidney. I don’t know whether Scarface has gotten past his health issues, and I don’t know when he recorded his verse on Devin’s “Live And Let Live” — which also features Slim Thug, another Houston rap great who came down with an early case of COVID. But all three rappers on “Live And Let Live” sound great, talking mellow lived-in shit and riding the beat with ease. All three of these guys have always sounded like old men, and maybe that’s part of the reason they’re all aging gracefully as rappers. Check the song out below.

While you’re at it, stream all of Soulful Distance below:

Soulful Distance is out now on Coughee Brothaz Enterprise/EMPIRE.