On his first single Own It, Mack Wilds says he's "on top of the world," and with the upcoming release of his debut album, he certainly should be.

The singer/rapper held an exclusive listening party on Monday night in a New York City art gallery where he shared his record for the first time. The gallery was filled with photos of the artist and his Staten Island hometown, which he said were intended to help the crowd visualize his music as they heard it.

Wilds' forthcoming album, titled New York: A Love Story, is a toast to old-school hip-hop and his throwback sound is demonstrated on almost every tune.

As he played songs from his debut, Wilds pointed out that U Can Cry To Me is one of his favorites. The hip-hop record features Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon and Doug E. Fresh. On another song, the singer pays tribute to the late Michael Jackson and puts a modern twist to his 1992 hit Remember The Time.

However, the 13-track album includes one song in particular that his female fans will presumably fall in love with. On the ballad, titled Don't Turn Me Down, Wilds slows down the tempo and sings in falsetto. During the event, Wilds performed the track along with the album's lead single Own It. While he's currently known mostly for his acting career, Wilds has an exceptional set of pipes.

The 24-year-old received his big break when he played Michael Lee on HBO's The Wire and then he starred as Dixon Wilson on the CW's 90210. When the show's series finale aired in May, the 24-year-old said it was the perfect opportunity to take a hiatus from acting and focus on completing his debut album.

The New York native, who is known in the acting world as Tristan Wilds, plans to release his album under the name Mack Wilds. Mack is his middle name and it's used by his family and closest friends.

"Music is my first love," he told EnStars during a July interview at Sony Music Studios in New York City. "It wasn't necessarily like 'Why the transition?' It's a long time coming type thing."

On the record, he notably collaborated with Salaam Remi, a producer who has worked with some of the industry's biggest names such as Amy Winehouse and Nas. Wilds defined their professional relationship as "amazing." Recording artist Ne-Yo, another force behind the project, also helped produce the album's lead single.

"If you want to think of it as a film, it's been a great cast of people," he said. "It's just a great album."

New York: A Love Story hits stores on Sept. 30.