Once one of neo-soul’s great young hopes, Bilal has carved out a modest career over the last decade. 

Bilal came up under  the wing of Dr. Dr, who, alongside J Dilla, produced large sections of his 2001 debut 1st Born Second. An aborted follow-up was smothered by label Interscope, and was subsequently delivered a death blow by an internet leak in 2006. Although he kept busy with a host of features (including spots on Jay-Z’s American Gangster and Erykah Badu’s incredible New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), it wasn’t until 2010 that Bilal released comeback LP Airtight’s Revenge on Plug Research.

A new LP, A Love Surreal, is due around Valentine’s Day 2013, but Bilal has just dropped a new mixtape, titled The Retrospection. The collection includes a selection of old and familiar material, plus a few unheard efforts to boot. Highlights include a track featuring Madlib’s one-man-band project Yesterday’s New Quintet, and a cover of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Too High’. Singer (and DVA collaborator) Vikter Duplaix is on host duty.

The Retrospection is available through his Facebook page in exchange for a Like and a Share. If that’s a click too far, ‘Too High’ is below. [via Potholes In My Blog]