September 2019 Albums

Two different ends of the Hip Hop spectrum take their place on the September list, demonstrating how eclectic the current rap game is.

JPEGMAFIA – All My Heroes Are Cornballs

JPEGMAFIA is interesting character in the modern Hip Hop scene. A veteran, JPEG first starting making music under this moniker while station in Japan. Upon leaving the Air Force and moving to Baltimore, JPEG began making him a name for himself in the DC/Maryland/Virginia area with series of mixtapes. However, it was the commercially and critically acclaimed Veteran that made the JPEG the sweetheart of the alternative Hip-Hop scene. Strange, distinct, and infectious, Veteran set a groundwork for JPEG to build on, releasing a string on singles following this (if you haven’t heard Puff Daddy featuring Kenny Beats, get on that ASAP). Hype was building, his lives shows were leaving a trail of sweaty bodies and broken glass behind them, his features were greatly sought after; JPEG was in a position many before him haven’t been able to capitalise on. Could lightning strike twice, could JPEG pull another acclaimed album out the bag? The answer is a conclusive “YES”.

Let me address this first, you should not go into this album expecting Veteran 2. You shouldn’t go into this album even expecting tracks like Puff Daddy. There is a distinct change in Peggy’s sound here, which come blindingly obvious with the opening track Jesus Forgive Me, For I Am A Thot, which sounds far more like his 2018 single Millennium Freestyle than anything from Veteran. Peggy’s brings his classic confrontational bars, but it’s his singing about having to be taught how to “keep my pussy closed” that make this song such a hilarious opener. On Kenan Vs Kel, Peggy says he know he has people waiting on him to drop a project like they were waiting on Kanye’s Yandhi; his confidence is peaking and it’s making for amazing music. This carries onto Beta Male Strategies, JPEG challenging those who have something to say to pull up on him and say it to his face, calling out the people who tweet him abuse. Peggy takes aim at the pervasive Type Beat culture of Hip Hop production with JPEGMAFIA TYPE BEAT, blasting us with 55 seconds of manic noise and nearly inaudible lyrics. Titles are truly something special when it comes to JPEGMAFIA’s music, and titling a song about his gun Grimy Waifu is about as JPEGMAFIA as you’re going to get.

Violence permeates the majority of the tracks on this album, but JPEG’s wordplay and delivery manage to lessen the impact, even when he is talking about murder. Admittedly, rapping about turning Steve Bannon into a cripple with one shot is always going to be funny, but JPEG really has a charm about him when he does it on PRONE!, before instantly turning to singing about the ocean and forest animals to close out . Jumping back to the singing in character as a woman, Peggy flexes his singing chops once again on Thot Tactics, with an infectious chorus. The signing continues on BasicBitchTearGas, on which we see Peggy interpolate No Scrubs on the outro. Recalling his work with Kenny Beats, Peggy takes his verse from his DOTS freestyle and remixes it with a new beat, which admittedly feels unnecessary, but understandable considering he kept the whole production of this album mostly solo. Closing out with Papi I Missed U, JPEG reminds us that “I don’t spit raps, bitch I spit rhetoric”.

JPEG is not one to follow convention and this album is a testament to that. He could’ve worked with countless producers who would all be chomping at the bit to get a chance to go into the studio with him, yet JPEG chose to keep nearly all of the production as a solo effort. It’s hard to refine the chaotic energy that JPEGMAFIA brings, and he certainly is not going to impose any restrictions on himself. While this may make his music slightly inaccessible at times, it also makes for something completely genuine, and creatively refreshing.

DaBaby – KIRK

DaBaby explosion into the rap game is nothing short of phenomenal. His debut album Baby on Baby, released on March 1st of this year, debuted at Number 25, with the help of the hit single Suge. He then appeared on XXL’s 2019 Freshman list, shining out among his peers with an amazing freestyle (a big shout out to Megan Thee Stallion for holding it down in the same one). Countless tour dates and festival appearances, DaBaby was going from strength to strengths. Six months later, with his support at fever pitch, DaBaby release his 2nd album Kirk, debuting at Number 1, and to commercial and critical acclaim.

INTRO instantly drops us into the story of DaBaby’s lightning fast come-up with lightning fast delivery. Having lost his father only days before he was due to start tour, it easy to see why Baby’s meteoric rise is so impressive. With this introduction, Baby lets us know that through adversity, he has risen to the top of the rap game, and he intends to run it. OFF THE RIP is a perfect example of what people always point out about Baby: the beat barely gets a chance to start playing before he’s spitting bars. GOSPEL is an interesting mix, seeing Baby call upon Gucci Mane, Chance the Rapper, and YK Osiris (who when featuring along side DaBaby & Megan, had one of the worst XXL freestyles possible). Paying tribute to late father (as well as Nipsey Hussle), Baby speaks on how he now treats his family lavishly, giving his daughter what he never had, and spoiling his mother who worked two jobs. Chance delivers a verse that is better than his entire The Big Day album, and while Gucci Mane’s verse isn’t mind-blowing, he is a welcomed addition to the proceedings. Nicki Minaj joins the line-up on iPHONE, even using dropping an Ireland mention with her closing bars “How you ain’t know a Queen from a rat?
Ireland, you gon’ be doublin’ back”. Kenny Beats jumps on production on TOES, crafting an infectious beat, on which Lil Baby and Moneybagg Yo link up with Baby for a braggadocios effort. Bringing the album to a close, Baby signs off with XXL, spitting his freestyle from the XXL Freshmen cypher, but now with a new beat.

It’s fair to say that lyrically, DaBaby is bringing anything new to the table, but this isn’t to say what he makes is mindless or dull. His tributes to his parents and daughter are heartwarming, and the story of his rise in his songs really are inspiring. What sets DaBaby apart is his rapping ability, and the sheer confidence that pours out of him and across the tracks. In the modern rap game, we see audacious and ridiculous characters left, right, and centre. DaBaby stands about these with genuine charisma and talent. If DaBaby can continue to deliver on these attributes, he’ll continue to be a staple in the modern Rap game for years to come.