In advance of his performance at French Quarter Fest and his subsequent tour with 2009 XXL Freshman Mickey Factz, Uptown MC Alfred Banks is dropping two new tracks.

The first, “Always,” matches Banks’ formidable flow with an airy instrumental from St. Louis-based producer Mvstermind. The second, “Shoot Your Shot,” is an underdog anthem with sample-heavy production courtesy of Mississippi beatsmith Donchedidit. Check out both tracks below, read Banks’ recent interview with OffBeat here, and don’t miss his French Quarter Fest set at the WWL-TV Esplanade in the Shade Stage at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 or his show with Mickey Factz at Dragon’s Den (435 Esplanade Ave.) on Thursday, April 19.