Super Gasey is a rapper from Indianapolis who also runs his own independent label, and he has built a world of his own. He calls it Astronaut on Earth: the story of someone stuck in the grind of everyday life while his mind is already somewhere in another galaxy. Taking his cues from Future and Playboi Carti, he mixes melodic trap with sci-fi imagery and very personal stories about struggle and ambition. His new solo single "Rari On Mars," out since September 23, is the next chapter of that story. It was produced by Darkkustupid and recorded in Indianapolis with engineer Johnny Kaz, and a full Astronaut on Earth album is on the way, with a release party already planned.

Super Gasey switches flows and vocal registers so easily that I want to compare him not just to his rap peers, but to the shape-shifters of the past: Bowie, who swapped his space-alien personas from album to album, and Prince, who could jump from falsetto to a low growl and even sang as his pitched-up alter ego Camille.

The beat is dark and anxious and never lets the pressure drop for a second, yet it sounds kind of triumphant: look, the new king Super Gasey is walking the red carpet!

Listen to "Rari On Mars" below.