After an extensive single campaign and the release of his EP! series, experimental hip hop visionary JPEGMAFIA has finally released his fourth studio album, LP!. Through 20 tracks, the Flatbush native takes us through another one of his crazed adventures, where he pushes his entire skillset to the max.
Over the course of the Offline Version of the albums, 54 minutes, Peggy goes on possibly the best display of his artistic skill that we have ever been witness to. From the abstract sampling to the varied vocal patterns and cadences, JPEG embodies all the musical aspects that made his past efforts so renowned into one cohesive experience. From a writing perspective, the album seems to take a play out of Call Me If You Get Lost and The Off-Season’s books as it comprises its depth and thematic expression to showcase JPEG in his absolute rawest element. Fortunately, this does pay off on cuts like “REBOUND!” and “OG!” where we witness Peggy absolutely spazz over his abstract soundscapes, which is such a joy to listen to between its abrasiveness and humor. Even with the overall focus on showmanship of skill, there are still some heartfelt moments like “GOD DON’T LIKE UGLY!” and “THE GHOST OF THE RANKING DREAD!” which showcase some pretty passionate verses about JPEG’s personal issues and past traumas. When it comes to the 32-year-olds pure rapping ability, it sounds better than ever on cuts like “BMT!” and “END CREDITS!” due to his fast-paced flow, compulsive delivery, and clever punchlines. These benefits only further pay off during highlights such as “TIRED, NERVOUS & BROKE!” as Peggy embeds his well-layered, roller coaster-like extensive monologues into his vast and atmospheric beats.
Despite containing arguably his best lyrical performance, LP! truly thrives with its genius soundscape, which is on par with past projects like Veteran and The Ghost Pop Tapes scores in terms of quality. From the very beginning, JPEG welcomes us to a world of distortion and unconventionality with the glitchy intro “TRUST!”. The cloudy drums and tense synths on “DIRTY!” only further send the listener into this otherworldy trance and the aesthetic excrement only continues to one-up itself throughout the rest of the album’s duration. “HAZARD DUTY PAY!” was a definite standout in the tracklist as, along with following JPEG’s usual standards of chaos, it infuses a beautiful soul sample which adds an odd layer of class and prestige to an otherwise ruthless experience. Between the sheer and utter rage to the smooth and quirky sonic pallets shown, LP! sounds like nothing else that’s come before it.
Overall, LP! may lack in substance compared to JPEGMAFIA’s past releases, but what it comprises thematically, it makes up for with its masterful embodiment of instrumental chaos, technical rapping, and vocal unpredictability. At this point, JPEGMAFIA has entered the 2021 album of the year race strong and has only further solidified his legend status and all-time rank.
Rating: 8.8/10
Top 5 Songs:
- TIRED, NERVOUS & BROKE!
- KISSY, FACE EMOJI!
- GOD DON’T LIKE UGLY!
- HAZARD DUTY PAY!
- TRUST!
Written By: Mr. Fantastic
