Score: 4.5/5

“Is this Heaven? No, it’s Iowa.”

This line from “Field of Dreams” fittingly opens up “THA M3$$IMADE,” the new mixtape from the DeKalb by-way-of Davenport rapper, Black Lung. The album, which drops March 22, is a surprisingly effective mix.

Through 19 tracks, we get an intimate look into what a 20-something Midwesterner is doing to cope with life. He makes no excuses; he loves smoking weed, he loves women, and he loves smoking weed. He’s down to have a good time, but as we learn more about him, the dude can get serious, too.

“THA M3$$IMADE” doesn’t rely on glossy production and synthesizers. These instrumentals, some produced right here in town, are straight ‘90s feel-good — I expected to hear Phife/dt hop on the track at any second.

Lung is hard not to like. Although he’s got the typical cocky bravado of any emcee (maybe more so), he can still drop Sylvia Plath references like it’s nothing.

He gets plenty of help on tracks from DeKalb’s own State Champs and Vertual Vetigo’s Ezekiel 38; The four-man-fronted “Real Good Feel” is a flawless attempt at nostalgia and perhaps the song that defines our local hip-hop.

“The One With The Music” is beautifully backed by saxophones and on, “Blackbread,” he exchanges fast-paced, sometimes hilarious bars with Ryebread.

The best track is one of the heaviest and most polarizing. “Whiteboy Wasted,” a two-verse ode to taking pills and getting drunk, features an out-of-this world verse from Johnny Redd of State Champs.

The mood doesn’t change on the last few tracks as weed and women are traded in for self-reflection. Lung talks about his life being in shambles, calls himself a wasted youth and admits to being paranoid.

I’m sure plenty of people here can relate to that.

My only complaint; sometimes there’s a little too much misogyny for digging chicks so much. And, when Lung’s homie tries to go for a Nate Dogg hook, it doesn’t really work out.

However, I’ve been listening to this on repeat for the last two days.

“THA M3$$IMADE” is another impressive entry into this hip-hop renaissance that’s occurring in DeKalb right now.