Omari Alltimer and MNTRY’s Research Forest is a compact look at the places and experiences that helped shape Alltimer as an artist.
The project takes its name from Research Forest, an area of The Woodlands, Texas, where Alltimer grew up. His relationship with the area was complicated. Growing up in a predominantly white suburb as one of very few Black people around him, he often felt out of place. It was only after leaving Texas for college in San Francisco that he began to appreciate the culture he had grown up around.
That change in perspective became the starting point for the album.
Rather than trying to recreate the past, Alltimer and MNTRY build a sound around it. The production moves between spacious, atmospheric textures and harder-edged moments, giving Alltimer room to tell his story without overcomplicating things.
The opening “4sho” immediately sets the mood with airy production and sharp flows. “Feeder Rd.” is smoother, while “Focus” puts Alltimer’s detailed writing front and center. On “Everything Different,” dense production and memorable flows bring more personality into the mix.
The closing track, “The Cost,” leaves the project on a confident note, pairing Alltimer’s triumphant delivery with a sound that feels resolved.
For Alltimer, Research Forest is ultimately about a place that stayed with him even after he left. The album is dedicated to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider in their own surroundings, while also serving as a personal tribute to his upbringing.
Listen to Research Forest here now:
