Omari Alltimer and MNTRY’s Research Forest is a project built around place, but it isn’t a straightforward hometown record. Instead, Alltimer uses the album to look at his upbringing around Houston, the culture he grew up around, and how leaving Texas changed his perspective on all of it.
Alltimer was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and grew up in The Woodlands, a suburban community outside Houston. He describes growing up there as a culture shock and remembers feeling somewhat disconnected from his surroundings as one of very few Black people in a predominantly white community.
It took leaving Texas to make him appreciate what he had left behind. During his freshman year of college in San Francisco, Alltimer realized how much he missed home. That experience became part of the foundation for Research Forest, which he describes as the album he wishes he had while growing up.
The project also reflects his relationship with Houston’s music culture. Alltimer remembers the influence of chopped-and-screwed music and watching artists take the sound in their own directions. With MNTRY handling the production, Research Forest takes some of that regional influence while giving it a more atmospheric and modern feel.
The opening track, “4sho,” sets the tone with layered, airy production and sharp flows from Alltimer. “Everything Different” brings a different kind of energy to the project. It is a personality-driven track, built around dense, immersive production and memorable flows that give Alltimer plenty of room to show his character as an artist.
“Feeder Rd.” contains a smoother instrumental and sleek delivery, while “Focus” puts more emphasis on detailed, personal writing over MNTRY’s ethereal but gritty production.
The album closes with “The Cost,” a strong final track that brings the project toward a feeling of resolution. Alltimer’s triumphant delivery works well against MNTRY’s production, giving the record a clear sense of an ending.
Research Forest is about the relationship between where you come from and who you become. Alltimer may have moved away from Texas, but the place continues to show up in his work.
Listen to Research Forest here now:
Connect with Omari Alltimer HERE.
