Mentored by his idol 9th Wonder (who was actually his professor at NC Central University), Mark Steele has been polishing his rhyme skills since his teens. It only makes sense he would team up with Little Brother vet Rapper Big Pooh for the slick sounding single, “Ain’t Real.”

“Little Brother put out a record called ‘Speed’ that changed my prospective on how to narrate a song,” Steele said in a press release. “It was one of the few times I heard a record that didn’t brag about the extraordinary lavish lifestyle that so many rap songs usually portray. ‘Speed’ spoke about working a job by day the grinding becoming a star by night. The connection I got from that record is why I rap about reality today. As I get closer to achieving rap dreams, I find it my duty to spit reality to the next young kid listening to me. Only right I grab a former member of LB to help me paint the picture.”

“Ain’t Real” is the fourth single from Steele’s forthcoming album Almost Time, which is scheduled for release on Friday (October 28).