LP! by JPEGMAFIA | Album Review
The noise rapper comes through with a stellar new album
JPEGMAFIA is an enigma in the rap world right now. First, starting off in the underground Baltimore scene. Bringing his flair for experimental noise rap into the mainstream. He broke barriers on 2018’s Veteran, the album that skyrocketed him and earned him critical acclaim. He kept that going on 2019’s All My Heroes Are Cornballs, which saw “Peggy” going in a more melodic route but still keeping true to his avant-garde, left-field production. Each album felt like something that could only be made in our digital internet age. Not just from the chaotic production of most songs but with satirical lyrics that delve into topics like the internet culture, the alt-right, racism, and trolls to name a few.
LP!, the newest album by JPEGMAFIA, is yet another addition to his already stellar discography. Much like his previous albums, LP! operates in a world of its own. His experimental style of noise rap sounds much more refined here thanks to LP!’s concise production and JPEG’s flow. That isn’t to say Peggy’s gone soft, for LP! has its own weirdness and eccentricities that make it a worthwhile listen, and one of my favourite albums of the year right now.
It should be noted that there are two versions of LP! First, there is the “online” version, the album that is available on streaming services and the one I’ll be reviewing, and the “offline version” (Available on Youtube, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud). Which features different song names and additional songs that couldn’t get sample clearance.
Much like his previous albums, LP! is entirely self-produced by JPEGMAFIA. The beats on here sound way more in line with contemporary rap, but still on the fringe of noisy, experimental hip-hop. A lot of the songs either have this glitchy, video-gamey feel to them like “NEMO!” and “BMT!”, or take over a wall of sound like the orchestral “REBOUND!”. More often than not, LP! blurs the lines between genres, thanks in part to Peggy’s unique sampling. They never reach the dizzying levels of sampling Ol Dirty Bastard’s yodeling, but they remain unorthodox nevertheless.
Taking an old R&B tune and flipping it over its head with added drums and vocal effects makes “WHAT KINDA RAPPIN’ IS THIS?” sound like an ethereal, trippy beast. Evangelis-like synths permeate “DAM! DAM! DAM!” and take JPEGMAFIA into a sound unlike ever before. Other examples include the slow ballad “THOT’S PRAYER”, which harkens back to the auto-tuned croons of All My Heroes Are Cornballs as Peggy does his best Britney Spears impression. At times the beats are very minimal, relying only on bass and tapping synths like on the album opener “TRUST!”.
Conceptually, LP! was released to fulfill JPEGMAFIA’s record contract, he explains the full story on his Bandcamp page, but the big takeaway is how dissatisfied JPEG feels with the music industry. Feeling as if he can’t fully express himself in the way he intends to, and it’s felt throughout a majority of the lyrics on the album. Straddling between controlled anger and goofy idiosyncrasies.
He calls out his detractors and those who never had their best interest in him with lines like: (“What about that shit you said that year when I was broke?
And what about buyin’ a ticket to get beat up at my show? The opposition sick of me, tired, nervous, and broke. You bought that, I forgot but bitch, I’m never letting go.”) on “SICK, NERVOUS & BROKE”, and points out the target audience he triggers in “ARE U HAPPY?” (“All of my hate come from weak-ass men, with their weak-ass hoes and their woke-ass friends.”). He even disses underground rap group Armand Hammer on“THE GHOST OF RANKING DREAD!”, with subtle lines like (“Niggas named after baking soda, but he never touched no fuckin’ coke in your city”). It’s evident JPEGMAFIA had a lot to get off of his chest, I can imagine he’ll have even more to say when starts dropping independent releases.
Outside of the anger is JPEG’s braggadocious confidence, which is the centerpiece to the rock-influenced “END CREDITS!”, fit with video game references (“Deathloop, you never coming back”) and his overall demeanor of not giving up on music. The end of his verse on “OG!” repeats this mantra that Peggy adheres to (“And when this album over, work for nobody for free. And when this album over, work for nobody but me.”). Once again reiterates his desire to be musically and creatively free.
Of course, a JPEGMAFIA album isn’t complete without some sort of humor, as is the case on “BALD!” Where Peggy takes shots at himself while dismissing his competition simultaneously. (“Bald, I look like Ray Allen. These niggas make beats on big wheels. Yo’ files is not a challenge.”). “BALD!” alongside its remix with Denzel Curry and the bass-heavy “CUTIE PIE!” are only available on the online version of LP! Having been previously included on his 2020 project EP!
Overall, I’m thoroughly impressed with JPEGMAFIA’s new album. The beats on here feel expansive yet minimal at the same time. It’s like Peggy found the perfect balance for his instrumentals and sound. Lyrically, JPEG didn’t want to leave any stone unturned and made sure his last contractual album would burn any bridges and while also creating new ones. LP! is JPEGMAFIA in his purest form, and will set the bar for his future, independent releases to come.
Final Rating: 9/10
Favourite Tracks: TRUST!, NEMO!, END CREDITS!, WHAT KINDA RAPPIN’ IS THIS?, THOT’S PRAYER!, ARE U HAPPY?, REBOUND!, OG!, DAM! DAM! DAM!, SICK, NERVOUS & BROKE!, BMT!, THE GHOST OF RANKING DREAD!, BALD!, CUTIE PIE!
Stream LP! below.
