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I wonder why Kingpen Slim isn’t “on” yet. Not saying he hasn’t made moves—-his 2012 LP, Triple Beam Dreams, featured notable rappers Jim Jones, Styles P and No Malice—-but Slim seems stuck in place despite the national headlines he’s picked up the past few years. He feels the same way.

On “Show Must Go On,” one of the two singles Slim dropped on Monday, the Adams Morgan rapper takes a long look at where he’s at. “It’s to the point I feel awkward if I’m not workin’/The show gotta go on and it got curtains.” Then on “She Loves Me,” Slim shows a vulnerable side, spinning a tale of heartbreak over a Mark Henry-produced track.

The two songs will not appear on Slim’s forthcoming album, Life After Doubt, but you can listen to them both below.