I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU - JPEGMAFIA
JPEGMAFIA's latest release pushes his artistic prowess sky-high as he delivers a seamless set of innovative and relentless tracks
On his newest release, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, JPEGMAFIA continues his unspoken insistence on being one of the very best rappers & producers on the scene. It’s a fantastic record that pushes his ingenious style one step further as he creates a cohesive project of unrelenting energy and a complete lack of care for conformity.
Peggy has, for his entire career, taken an approach to rap that defies conventions and sets him drastically apart from his contemporaries. Through noisy and cluttered environments, eclectic blending of far-reaching samples, and a skillful prowess for letting bars fly, he has designated an area of rap squarely for himself. While stylistically this continues to be apparent on his newest recording, the precision at which he is executing is of a brand-new level of meticulousness.
Every step that JPEG takes across this record feels psychotically refined and defined. Every decision that is made, no matter how “out there” the blend of sounds seems, is carved out to perfection and executed to its fullest extent with a gargantuan amount of confidence. “vulgar display of power”, for instance, is an electric track that shoots currents of energy through waves of heavy toxic sludge. Heavy guitars slosh across the song in sympatico with a slight emo edge through chanting and retching vocals as Peggy expunges himself onto the track. The swagger he carries in his approach comes through sonically, making for a viscerally cool energy that’s simultaneously menacing and awesome.
Just as he always has, Peggy self-produces his tracks on this record, leading to an impossible question about whether his production skills outshine his rap skills or vice-versa. Like the artist himself, the question proves to be an ever-changing enigma. Across the tracklist, he constantly feels to be one-upping himself and always keeping tricks up his sleeve. One moment he’s conducting the disembodied vocals of Buzzy Lee to create the ethereally haunting track “Don’t Put Anything On the Bible”. The next he’s spitting a disgustingly filthy verse on the Denzel Curry-featured track “JPEGULTRA” (which is instantly one of the year’s best tracks). Atop vintage horn samples and instrumental swells that sound like they’re straight off The Incredibles soundtrack, Peggy’s never sounded more larger-than-life than in this moment as he rips apart the “peers” he deems to be far less than himself.
There are endless cuts across this record that deserve an incredible amount of praise. Whether because of ingenious creative swings, like on “SIN MIEDO”, a super heavy and punchy infusion of vibrations from 2000s heavy rock club mixes and a third act electronic breakdown with a techno groove. Or because of pure rap excellence, like on “Either on or off the drugs”, where Peggy reaches a Jay-Z level of ability as bars ooze off his tongue effortlessly yet exceptionally. The latter isn’t the only case of bringing the past into his hypermodern acceleration of rap future. DMX is clearly a main inspiration for Peggy, as he names one of the album’s tracks after a famous DMX album, but it goes beyond mere appreciation.
The bygone rap legend’s visceral aggression has felt dearly missing from much of modern rap, but JPEG makes an assurance that as long as he is alive, so will be the spirit of the dog. “don’t rely on other men” is incredibly modern in its electronic crunchiness and noisy distortion, but the vocal energy is pure vintage menace. A murderous aura haunts the track, making it hard to forget the sound of such a force of power.
I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU is a tremendous record from the creative powerhouse of JPEGMAFIA that perfectly balances his forward-thinking production skills and his classical rapping prowess. Amidst an array of stellar tracks that never feel dull or repetitive, Peggy inserts instant all-timers that reach the very top tier of contemporary rap. This celebration includes the fantastic “New Black History” which sees the heavy hitting team-up of JPEG, Flume, and Vince Staples to create a true classic. He is constantly swinging for the fences and beyond in crafting these tracks, often dealing with massive sounds and gigantic stages while still retaining a magnifying glass level of attention to detail.
This combination of abilities is the unique sauce that brings together all the ingredients Peggy cooks with and showcases why no other artist has come anywhere close to emulating his style, despite their best efforts. Bringing together a creative ability beyond the precipice of the modern artform with a spirit of the past, he is in many ways rap incarnate. His own edge and confidence pushes him into a realm beyond any of his peers, which he minimizes through performance. He’s rapping like he hates listeners for listening, and that’s what’s so dope. He creates soundspaces clearly without a shred of regard for mass reception. It’s an inspirational approach to the artform that is purely confidence-inducing in listeners and allows him to embody everything that rap should be while thrusting the genre into the future with bloodthirsty, remorseless force.