Charles Hamilton has refocused himself with remarkable efficiency. The prolific rapper, once a weekly fixture on blogs and message boards with his myriad of sometimes impenetrable, always unique mixtapes, recently went away for an extended period of time. Since his return to the public eye, the seasoned freestyler has spoken candidly about the things that daunted him about celebrity, chiefly his mental health and the effect that widespread attention has on it. But with new songs like "Headed to the Top," Hamilton sounds unwavering and resolute, ready to assume the position he held in rap in the latter half of the last decade--and maybe even higher.

Laced by Mello Music Group veteran and DC native Oddisee, "Headed to the Top" is likely the previously unreleased song that Peter Rosenberg alluded to during his recent sitdown with the rapper. It catches Hamilton at his most nimble--at least as much as he can be within such a formal song structure. Hamilton will appear on Empire this Wednesday (March 18).

Related: Listen to Charles Hamilton Feat. Rita Ora, ‘New York Raining’
Charles Hamilton Confesses To Suicidal Thoughts
Charles Hamilton Signs With Republic Records

More From XXL