On “Lil Nihilist or I get Angry at God,” the oft-joyful Oakland rapper Michael Sneed Jr. is shaking his fist at the sky: “I talk to God sometimes, but he don’t talk back,” he says on the track off his newest project, Days We Lost out today.

Sneed, a Howard graduate, looked to the soulful stylings of producers Wax Roof and Grandbanksss to help bring his childhood musings to life on his playful and wonder-filled hip-hop, but “Lil Nihilist” in particular encompasses Michael’s greatest lesson and message about growing up: Without the darkness, there cannot be light.

“I want this tape to offer people moments of joy, freedom, love, sorrow and healing,” he wrote on his Instagram.

Check out Days We Lost below and look out for Michael Sneed to hit venues soon.