In the past few weeks, I have seen a whole lot of evidence of a gathering JPEGMAFIA backlash. This makes sense. At times, it has appeared that JPEGMAFIA is actively courting just such a backlash. He makes jagged, trollish music, and he carries himself like he's the one true king of who knows what. Recently, he's done presumably lucrative production work for big stars like Kanye West and BTS — annoying collaborators for two completely different reasons — but he still turned around and called his new album Experimental Rap. He then sparked a snarky Instagram-comments flame war with Earl Sweatshirt, which immediately threatened to overshadow the album's release. Today, however, Experimental Rap is out, and it's good. The backlash might have to wait.
JPEGMAFIA did not send advance copies of Experimental Rap to critics, and I know this because I requested one. Last year, he publicly asked for "pitchfork, gq, anna wintor, conde nast media" to stop reporting about him. Stereogum doesn't fall under that corporate umbrella — independent internet media, baby! — but he might prefer us to stop reporting on him, too. We still posted early tracks "babygirl," "War Over Land," and "¥ (Yen)." Today, the album is out on the world, and it's a wild ride.
You could argue that Experimental Rap is not actually experimental rap because it's really just JPEGMAFIA staying in his chaotic lane, making the same kind of thing that he's been doing since in Baltimore warehouse days. But there's really nobody else who makes music like this — noisy, jagged, abrasive, sample-drunk rap that still has swagger and personality and unpredictable flair. I'm on my first listen to Experimental Rap right now, as I write this, and it's an overwhelming thing. It'll take some unpacking. The samples on this thing are crazy. Lots of gospel. Lots of guitar. One full-track chopped-up meditation on Kanye West's "All Of The Lights."
Experimental Rap is almost entirely self-produced, and I'm sure it's packed with allusions and wild-ass lyrics that I didn't pick up on the first listen. I'll be processing everything on this album for a while. But at least on first impression, I'm fully getting swept up in this thing. He really is the king of making crunchy ass music and wearing muay thai shorts. Hear it for yourself below.
Experimental Rap is out now on AWAL.
