Album of the Year #24 - JPEGMAFIA - Veteran - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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Album of the Year #24 - JPEGMAFIA - Veteran - HipHop

Album of the Year #24 - JPEGMAFIA - Veteran - HipHop

Album of the Year #24 - JPEGMAFIA - Veteran

Posted: 24 Dec 2018 12:12 PM PST

Artist: JPEGMAFIA

Album: Veteran

Label: Deathbomb Arc

Release Date: January 19, 2018

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Background

Barrington DeVaughn Hendricks, more commonly known as "JPEGMAFIA", is a rapper and producer from Baltimore, Maryland. Despite now hailing from Baltimore, JPEGMAFIA spent most of his childhood years in Alabama. His frequent brushes with racism that is so commonly found in the deep south has left a lasting impact on his character and his music.

JPEGMAFIA's interest in creating music stems from his military deployment, particularly when he was deployed in Japan. Following the blueprint that A$AP mob had crafted in the years prior, each member of the crew had "mafia" in their name, thus leading to his moniker.

In 2015, JPEGMAFIA released his first piece of work, Communist Slow Jams. This project introduced the general public to Peggy's experimental and eclectic production paired in tandem with his abrasive and often shocking lyrics. While his thoughts may be scattered and less cohesive on this project, he proved he was not afraid to say just about anything and was more concerned with getting his message out than breaking into the mainstream.

Just one month later, Peggy release the Darkskin Manson EP. The entire project was recorded during the Freddie Gray riots, and you do not even need to listen to the EP to know Peggy's stance on the issue. With songs aptly titled "Cops are the Target" and "I Wipe My Ass With Confederate Flags" Peggy was clearly fed up with the state of police and African American relations (and this has likely not changed since then). While the album is largely devoid of rapping, it does an amazing job of showcasing Peggy's ability to create oddly satisfying beats with bizarre noises that somehow pair together harmoniously.

In 2016, Peggy released Black Ben Carson which is his piece of work that sounds the most similar to Veteran and where he truly seems to have found his signature style. The beats are really in your face, often loud and abrasive but somehow still pleasurable. Peggy was doing his best to destroy the norms of hip hop production on every track and for the most part he was successful.

Leading up to the release of Veteran, Peggy released another EP and a collaborative project with Freaky both also in 2016. Peggy spent much of 2017 teasing Veteran on his Twitter account. He tweeted a variety of mixed messages about what the album would sound like, ranging from "Veteran is a country album. Barnyard music." to "Veteran is trash. I can't wait to disappoint everybody. seriously it's making me horny just thinking about it." Peggy seemed that he did not feel compelled to build hype for a specific sound that Veteran was going to display and instead knew that the album would speak for itself.

Review

Veteran was released on January 19th, 2018 under the Deathbomb Arc independent record label. Despite having 19 tracks it has a relatively concise runtime at 47 minutes. Every song on the album is produced by JPEGMAFIA.

1539 N. Calvert starts the album with some of the less eclectic production on the record, highlighted by a light key pattern that contrasts with Peggy's flow while simultaneously complimenting it. Midway through the track, a deep rattling bass line comes in picking up the pace of the track. Lyrically wise, Peggy creatively talks about what kind of women he desires to be with saying that he, "need[s] all my bitches same color as Drake" and that he, "need[s] a bitch with long hair like Myke C-Town". Rather than mentioning women that have been referenced dozens of time in hip-hop tracks he instead turns to men who possess the same features he wants in a women.

Real Nega throws the listener right into the abrasive, in your face Peggy we have all come to know and love. The beat is mostly comprised of a sample of ODB's Going Down where in the beginning of the track he is effectively going "AHHHHH AHHHHH" (not sure how to describe this noise much better than that). Peggy adds a fast paced drum pattern and occasional deep bass to the sample to transform what was originally a bizarre intro to a song into a master class of how to turn anything into an instrumental. Towards the conclusion of the track, the ODB sample is replaced with a spacey guitar riff that calms the tone of the track overall before the ODB sample is brought back in to round out the song. While on initial listens it proves difficult to focus on the lyrics present in this song due to the instrumental, Peggy spends most of the rapping about guns and how people act brave on the internet but do not want to run into him in person. Ultimately the show on this track is stolen by the instrumental.

Thug Tears continues the albums of trend of showcasing Peggy's capabilities as a producer and willingness to tear down any norms of hip-hop production that one may normally feel obliged to follow. With an oddly pleasant backing sound that sounds like a cross between cicadas and castanets that fades in and out as the song progresses that is paired with a poppy keyboard riff that sounds like it could be the theme for a video game level, Peggy is about as far away as possible from the traditional rattling hi-hats and 808's that have become all too common in modern rap. The song reaches its climax after the sample "Okay team follow my command" followed by the introduction of rapid firing powerful bass on top of the already eclectic elements in the song sending chills down the listeners spine.

Dayum serves as interlude of sorts, with a busy static background noise and repeated chanting of "Damn I'm awake" that sounds like it is taking place deep in a cave with dripping stalagmites all around. While not a song many would listen to on its own, in the context of the album it serves as a good bridge between Thug Tears and Baby I'm Bleeding.

Baby I'm Bleeding may be the epitome of Peggy's artistic style up until this point in his career and is one of the most iconic songs on the album. Peggy raps with clever braggadocio over an incredibly abrasive vocal sample paired with an erratic drum pattern. For the second half of the song Peggy transitions into a more laid back vocal inflection while seemingly directing shots at certain rappers in particular and also making promises that he won't make missteps like other rappers have done before.

My Thoughts on Neogaf Dying is an ironic title for a song mostly consisting of Peggy repeating the phrase "I don't care". Neogaf was an internet gaming forum that was shut down after a sexual harassment scandal involving the owner. Aside from bolstering his already very apparent attitude towards most of everything, this song is one of the more forgettable tracks on the album.

Rock N Roll is Dead features a beat crafted from heavily distorted Peggy ASMR clamoring in the background. While most songs by JPEGMAFIA tend to feature lyrics that could fall under the "stream of thought" distinction, this track is a bit more focused with Peggy rapping about how Rock N Roll fans nowadays are often associated with the alt-right (or vice versa if you prefer) and makes it very apparent he will not tolerate them coming onto his turf.

Continuing the trend of more focused tracks, DD Form 214 focuses on Peggy's career in the military and how he has dealt with adjusting back to ordinary life since being honorably discharged. The song is one of the calmest on the album with a backing instrumental that subtly picks up and decreases in tempo as the song progresses. Peggy is also gifted with the beautiful vocals provided by Bobbi Rush that begin the song.

The next track, Germs, is a rather bizarre one. Like many of the other tracks preceding it, it features an instrumental containing an instrument that is almost impossible to describe. It almost sounds like a distorted trumpet occasionally blaring, If this track does anything for me it further establishes Peggy's almost uncanny ability to craft ingenious instrumentals out of sounds I have never even heard before.

Libtard Anthem is the first of two tracks on the album devoid of any Peggy vocals. It features Freaky making a multitude of accusation of rauncious acts against said "libtard". The instrumental starts largely empty of much but a drum track and eventually introduces a fast hitting bass line. It is a funny, tongue in cheek song that surprisingly possesses decent replay value.

Panic Emoji is an absolute masterpiece showcasing everything that makes Peggy unique in a single cohesive track. A hodgepodge of sounds that come together impeccably well, it is highlighted by an eerie flute, overwhelming bass, and a sample "ahh" vocal. Lyrically, Peggy creates a vivid picture of his struggles with panic attacks and stress that is all the more emphasized when the bass comes in. The track is beautifully capped off by what sounds like a mandolin or some other sort of light string instrument.

DJ Snitch Bitch Interlude is a short track that sounds like strong static feedback repeating in the background with a rough drum track as well. Peggy (?) delivers rapid punchlines that seem to be a scattered assortment of thoughts. While it is ultimately overshadowed by some of the more popular songs on the record, it does feature a handful of Peggy's most witty lines.

The next two songs, Whole Foods and Macaulay Culkin, do more to highlight Peggy's lyrical capabilities than his beat-making ones which is, for the most part, against the general theme of the album. Peggy's lyrics are often hard to digest or understand on first listen but they are generally deeply packed with pop culture references from an assortment of decades. His ability to use these references as metaphors shows that he is much more capable as a lyricist than he is often given credit for, with people often citing much of his attention coming from his use of "edgy" lyrics instead of thoughtful ones.

Williamsburg does not stand out much on this album but is a decent cut nonetheless. The production here is less avant garde than on the rest of the album with a much more spacey minimalistic beat. Peggy raps about gentrification of his absolute disdain for the such.

I Cannot Fucking Wait Until Morrissey Dies is a track where the production is in stark contrast stylistically to the lyrics. While is contains a chirpy upbeat very light instrumental, the lyrics are regarding Peggy's absolute hatred for certain white public figures with past brushes (or more in some cases) with racism.

Rainbow Six is an absolute gem buried towards the end of the album that, similarly to Panic Emoji, plays to all of JPEGMAFIA's strengths. One of the longer cuts off the album, the core of its beat is a sample of vocal groaning, and as terrible as that may sound at first Peggy has a uncanny talent for turning these unflattering vocal inflections into full on instrumentals. Peggy is joined by Young Midpack and the two collectively voice their disdain for the alt-right and the extremes they would resort to if necessary.

1488 is in reference to two numbers (14 and 88) that are representative of the white supremacist movement (if you care to know the full context of how they are white supremacist related Google it). The song begins with a sampled guitar solo and sounds like it may be a more solemn cut but abruptly switches into Peggy's typical abrasive style.

Curb Stomp is a perfect outro for an album highlighted by JPEGMAFIA'a hatred of the alt-right, police, and the current political climate. He touches on all of the subjects in his typical clever way while being complimented by a bouncy bassline. While the track does not quite possess the potency of earlier cuts, it is a nice summary of Peggy's mind state and capabilities as a spitter and producer.

Favorite Songs

"1539 N. Calvert"

"Real Nega"

"Thug Tears"

"Baby I'm Bleeding"

"Panic Emoji"

"Raindbow Six"

Favorite Lyrics

Two black cards, let me cloak my wrist (Okay)

Fuck a diss, boy, I'm draggin' bodies like it's Metal Gear

I don't care 'bout your fuckin' status, Peggy got no fear

  • 1539 N. Calvert

I treat your ***** like Rafiki, I raise the K like a kid

AR built like Lena Dunham

When I shoot, I don't miss (Trapaholics)

  • Real Nega

Work hard, twerk hard

26 no kids, yeah (Tears!)

Talk shit, back it up

No fades, throw shade, whole game

  • Thug Tears

Peggy, where you been at? Getting all this promo

When it comes to money, bet these niggas is a no-show

I've been out in Bed-Stuy, chilling with my feet up

Laughing at these SoundCloud niggas trying to be us

When I say us, bet, I don't mean no fucking crew

Peggy been a solo act since Looney Tunes & Goofy Troop

Catch me out in Barksdale, counting fettuccine

While you pussy crackers still trying to pass P.T

Ooh, I'm up in Brownsville, strapped with a Kimber

All you yuppie purses getting swiped like Tinder

Now I'm at the White House, looking for your President

Hop out the van pointing guns at your residence

  • Baby I'm Bleeding

I'm a nuisance

DOA to the base

Face wet, legs shake

Grab my chest, feeling faint

These symptoms, can't help them

Where my health went

This hurts

  • Panic Emoji

Feminist, pistol whip your wife first, that's chivalry

Sounding like my minimes

But you ain't got the heart to do these evil deeds

Debra pack

Turn Stone Cold into Simple Steve

  • Macaulay Culkin

Discussion Questions

  • Did you know of JPEGMAFIA before this project? If so did it live up to your expectations? If not will you be listening to his next project?

  • Do you find the oft-abrassive nature of his tracks to limit their replay ability?

  • Would you rather see JPEGMAFIA continue to produce all of his own music, or start to work with well-known producers?

  • Do you think JPEGMAFIA would be breaking out as much as he is in a world with a much less volatile political climate?

  • What would you like to hear Peggy do different on his next project?

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Daily Discussion Thread 12/24/2018

Posted: 24 Dec 2018 04:53 PM PST

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

This thread is for:

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New to /r/hiphopheads or hip-hop in general?

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It's a good interview overall - spitta seems like such a genuine person.

link

submitted by /u/neumatron11
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