Rapper and producer JPEGMAFIA (Barrington DeVaughn Hendricks) released his sixth studio album “EXPERIMENTAL RAP” on May 21. The album was announced in an Instagram post on April 29. The next day, the first single “babygirl” dropped alongside its music video.
Hendricks, who originally established his underground career in Baltimore, rose to mainstream prominence after the release of his second studio album “Veteran” in 2018. As an Air Force veteran, the core of all of his work is influenced by his service, where he dealt with adverse personalities and pushback against his leftist politics. In his music, Hendricks embraces hostility full on — often challenging right-wing ideals in his work to get a reaction out of this demographic.
In a Pitchfork interview following the release of “Veteran,” Hendricks discussed his aspirations and views towards commercial success.
“I wanna make my music as popular as it can be, get it to as many people and just be an established force in hip-hop,” Hendricks said. “I want to be here to stay. I want people to debate which albums are the best from me. I want to be part of the colloquial conversation in rap.”
Nearly eight years later, his dream has come to fruition. Hendricks has since established himself within the experimental hip-hop scene by distinguishing his candid, confrontational and, at times, sentimental voice. However, with his niche so firmly established, “EXPERIMENTAL RAP” is under criticism for not pushing any crazy boundaries.
This album is self-written, produced and mixed by Hendricks. It contains his typical medley of samples and political references, alongside gospel and guitar snippets — turning listeners’ gaze to the transcendent measures, amid the abrasive chaos of the textural interest of the noise.
The album’s first brief track, “投影の芸術,” includes a Dave Chappelle monologue and a video game titlescreen-esque outro.
In “babygirl,” Hendricks raps in his signature staccato rush of word flow against a looping sample. The track ends with an electric guitar, devolving into rock territory. In typical JPEGMAFIA fashion, Hendricks executes a volte-face from the glitchy outro of “$ (Money)” to the saccharine gospel choir song intro of “Pop this Heat.”
Genre-wise, Hendricks’ new album certainly fits the experimental bill. However, he set the bar high enough to the point that these installments don’t push boundaries he hasn’t already broken. These tracks are not indicative of a new JPEGMAFIA era, they can camouflage into some of his previous work where he also includes sample mixing, electronic elements and even gospel.
Hendricks, perhaps predictably, made reference to Charlie Kirk in “The 1st Amendment.” This song features a glitchy EDM-like bass drop.
“Give me that work / N****s talk out the side of they neck like Charlie Kirk / What’s the worth?” Hendricks raps. “Baby girl left with a smirk, neck bussin’ like Charlie Kirk / On the run, now, what’s the purse? / Better aim for the neck like Charlie Kirk.”
The album ends with “You will always lose money chasing women, but you will never lose women chasing money,” which features solely instrumentals from alone, melancholic guitar. The choice to end the album on a steady, mellow note is arguably anticlimactic.
While “EXPERIMENTAL RAP” is not quite experimental coming from Hendricks, it isn’t inherently bad; the album contains many good songs. It is always interesting to witness how Hendricks frankensteins together pre-existing songs and samples to create cynical, dryly ironic new meaning. Perhaps Hendricks did not break through his own ceiling with this album, but critics must concede that Hendricks developed a style that no one else can quite replicate.
Tessa Kang is an Arts & Entertainment Staff Writer. She can be reached at tokang@uci.edu.
Edited by Travis Foley and Riley Schnittger
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