The Heat Index is These Days’ hip hop column showcasing a new hot record we can’t stop playing.

I don’t think Dre Izaya really enjoys being on social media. And in a perfect world, that would be perfectly fine. He’s not on this earth to be a social media manager, he’s here to rap and he does it extremely well. Unfortunately, for current up-and-comers, some sort of presence on these digital platforms is crucial to get your name out there: Dre’s 2021 project, I Fall Apart When They Leave, certainly would’ve benefited from a stronger digital marketing push.

The Back of the Yards native is a smart man though, and, in spite of his apparent apprehension towards flooding timelines with tweets and pics, has found a compromise in recording lyrical exercises formatted for the TikTok generation. The vertical videos are no-frills affairs in visual production terms, but the bars in them are intricate and elaborate.

The series, titled Stanza, started off with a shoot in a studio, the second one was shot in Chicago’s Hip Hop Favorite Corner Store, and the latest one is situated in a school gym. “Stanza 003” features some of the most captivating raps I've heard this year out of Chicago —seamlessly weaving in different rhyme schemes and keeping me engaged for three minutes straight.

Towards the end of the song, he states, “if I could choose, I’d say no attention, but every time I show my face, you know they don’t forget it.” A line that touches on his reluctance to be active on social media, but also acknowledges his gravitating talent. A talent I’m thankful he’s willing to share with us.