Nocando had a weird year. I don’t pretend to know details but his falling out with Milo over Toothpaste Suburb to his no longer hosting Low End Theory, seemed to have the veteran LA rapper reevaluating some shit. And I respect that. We all gotta do it from time to time. Life is a deck of cards. Sometimes you need to reshuffle that shit. Cut the deck. And start again.

2016 sees Nocando, his his latest video “Last Man Standing,” letting us all know that he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, and that he’s even planning on giving the cockroaches a run for their money.

Outside of making me want to call in every single one of my vices, the video feels triumphant. But also like a warning. An, I-won’t-be-defeated-that-easy missive to the masses that would believe Nocando can’t. I hope for the sake of all he’s contributed to music and culture in LA and beyond, I know he can.