Orlando artist Healboi Bedside releases outer-limits hip-hop album 'Serene Exile'

Since the early 2010s, Leonel Urena has been moving in Orlando music circles under various names. A restless creator in the alternative electronic scene, he’s racked up production credits for notable locals under guises like DigitalDayDream (Palmer Reed, Truly Def, Kreepy K, City Tucker), electronic duo Lotus Cloud (Mag.Lo, EyeQ, O_Super) and, most recently, solo project Healboi Bedside (Orlando’s The OG Ninja, the Bronx’s Mickey Factz).

Of all these acts, though, vocalist-producer project Healboi Bedside is the most complete portrait of Urena as an artist. Though his solo run as Healboi has been a prolific one resulting in at least a handful of full-length drops since its 2019 debut, new album Serene Exile is his most crystallized look yet.


Prior releases reveal a mind full of ideas packing a remarkable range of emotion, style and skill, from rapping to singing. While Serene Exile exhibits all those traits, it’s the most honed Healboi collection to date. The full production is awash in tasteful left-field flourishes but bumps with more fluidity and point than ever.

Between this sharp framing and the sturdy flow of Healboi’s raps, this extensive album is an impressively confident outing. While he proudly professes his nostalgia, Healboi’s outlook is unmistakably forward. That all culminates in Serene Exile as the mark of a fresh voice that threads a smart needle between modern and classic hip-hop.

Serene Exile now streams everywhere and is currently atop This Little Underground’s Spotify playlist. But the Bandcamp version is deluxe with three bonus tracks, and it’s available as a name-your-price download.


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