Let’s be honest here. JPEGMAFIA at his worst is what many contemporary rappers wish could be their best.
Since his humble beginnings in the provocatively titled mixtape “Communist Slow Jams,” the Brooklyn-born rapper has continuously challenged not only his listeners’ politics but their musical expectations as well. JPEGMAFIA’s sound, a combination of often harsh, aggressive raps over genre-bending instrumentals that demolish gospel, electronic and even the moans of one of the Wu-Tang Clan’s members, consistently tackle topics such as the rise of the alt-right, systemic racism and internet culture.
And now, the rapper has continued this cutting-edge, kaleidoscopic sound with “LP!,” his latest album.
Released on Oct. 22, “LP!” follows the footsteps of JPEGMAFIA’s previous two critical darlings: “Veteran” and “All My Heroes Are Cornballs.” Listeners should be very familiar with what the rapper brings to the table: satirical critiques against the music industry over glitchy beats, aggressive takedowns of enemies both personal and political, clever jabs at popular figures and the rapper himself. Peggy, as he’s often referred to by his fans, is still at his prime.
“LP!”’s sound closely mirrors his previous two EPs 一creatively titled “EP!” and “EP2!” 一 and their sound, which is notably more commercial than his previous albums. There are two versions of the album as well: the “online” version, which is live on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, and the “offline” version, which cuts some of the hit singles included in “EP!” and “EP2!” to include some new tracks on sites like Bandcamp.
According to JPEGMAFIA, the inclusion of exclusive tracks in the offline version was a result of the music labels not allowing him to use certain samples in his tracklist.
“LP!” is perhaps JPEGMAFIA at his most accessible and conservative. Despite the all caps, exclamation mark labeling, “LP!” never quite hits the creative sampling and abrasive screams that brought Peggy to fame. This doesn’t mean that the tracks are bad — well, except for the track “NEMO!”, whose slimy beat squelches down one’s ear like some sort of nasty parasite. In fact, most of the tracks are pretty good. The lyrics are on point, the instrumentals are creative and fun, but after a while, many of the tracks start feeling exhaustingly similar, following similar structures and instrumental switches. It’s JPEGMAFIA, but JPEGMAFIA catered and curated, and the rapper’s luster dimmed with polish.
And perhaps the reason why “LP!” sounds a bit more commercial than the rapper’s last two critical hits could be due to the music industry itself.
At the bottom of the offline version of “LP!” on Bandcamp, JPEGMAFIA states his discontent with the music industry and his label Republic Records, who published the rapper’s last two EPs over the past year. According to the statement, his label “never had my best interest at heart,” prioritizing the rapper’s fame over the quality of his work.
“This is my last release under a label,” JPEGMAFIA stated. “From this day on, I’m free as hell, more free than I already was, something I haven’t felt in a long time.”
Hardcore fans of JPEGMAFIA know that ever since the rapper signed a record deal with Republic Records, his output has been … different. His last two EPs were criticized by fans for being noticeably milder than “Veteran” and “All My Heroes Were Cornballs,” and “LP!” suffers from this problem as well.
Throughout the album, there’s a potential harshness that is never quite reached, a final curbstomp that never quite finishes the opponent. The “online” version suffers from Peggy’s forced commerciality even more, as the poorly planned out tracklist prioritizes the rapper’s hit singles. Just the outro alone, two back-to-back plays of the hit single “BALD!”, completely takes listeners out of the experience.
And don’t get me wrong, “BALD!” is a great single. It’s fast, catchy, fun and I’ve even used it during some of my live DJ sets. But it adds nothing to the album, and I think it says a lot that the offline version of “LP!” omits it.
Regardless of how much influence the greedy music industry had on JPEGMAFIA’s creative output, “LP!” is still a pretty good album. I’m not going to applaud the album like the critics over at NME and Stereogum, but I’m not going to disagree with their high reviews either. It’s a damn good album, and if you’re going to stream it, I highly, highly recommend you listen to the offline version. It’s too good to pass up, according to the rapper’s Twitter.
There’s no telling where JPEGMAFIA’s future will lead the rapper to, especially now that the rapper has bid farewell to the mainstream music industry. But one thing is for sure: Peggy always delivers his best.
