JPEGMAFIA makes a blazing hot return to the mainstream with I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU (2024), his first solo album since the massive SCARING THE HOES (2023), which he made in collaboration with the much beloved Danny Brown. He and Danny capped off their album with a nationwide tour last year, and Peggy (JPEGMAFIA) is set to do the same this year, except now he will perform all across the world.
The first leg of the tour kicks off on the 7th of August in California, with the second and third legs taking place in Europe and Oceania, respectively. The tour will take place over a span of roughly seven months, ending in March, and it will undoubtedly be a major boon to Peggy's worldwide popularity. The album itself is JPEGMAFIA's fifth studio album, and a passionate tour-de-force from the veteran. Released on August 1st and coming in at a respectable 14 songs in roughly 42 minutes, it's just the right size to carry listeners through a lengthy drive somewhere, but also short enough to leave them craving more.
"Hating for free but you can't pay your rent, if you're gonna d**k-ride, make it make cents"
The album starts off with "i scream this in the mirror before i interact with anyone", a classic JPEGMAFIA song both in title and in its themes of rapping about how he is better than everyone around him, while occasionally throwing in mentions to various pieces of modern-day internet lore. His demeanor of being down to earth and tapped into almost every culture and corner of the internet has done wonders for him throughout his career, bringing in hordes of (sometimes a bit too parasocial) fans who can relate with and understand what he is talking about–almost as if they were talking to one of their friends.
"SIN MIEDO" comes next and was released a few months prior to the album as somewhat of a teaser. This track is another version of Peggy we have heard before, sounding like a song which missed the final cut of his previous collaborative album... and I only mean that in the best way possible. "I'll Be Right There" has a beautiful backing instrumental with various celestial sounds floating around, evoking a feeling of slowly drifting through space in a broken-down spaceship (or at least I assume this is how that feels). This heavenly melody is followed up by "it's dark and hell is hot", which offers up the first two features on the album: rapper and producer Freaky and DJ RaMeMes. I would personally die on the hill that Portuguese is one of the best sounding languages and can sound cool in any setting, and I feel that this song proves me right with how cool the hook, crafted by the two features, sounds. The name itself is also a homage to the late, and most definitely great, DMX, while also being a slight jab at Canadian rapper Drake due to DMX's hatred of him. Peggy also takes a more direct jab at the rapper saying, "if I show you a Drake, I aint playing with kids."
"Cause I'm in that mode, on my own, I got the flavor, Jonathan Major paper, Specially when y'all cashing out for PDFs and r*pers (No Drizzy)"
Speaking of Drake, up next is "New Black History", featuring Vince Staples, with co-production from Flume. Here he takes yet another jab at Drake, specifically in relation to recent internet discourse about him and his actions. Peggy has been known to joke about Drake in his music in his own self-expressed way to show respect to him, however, he approaches the topic from a more serious angle this time. On "don't rely on other men" Freaky returns for his second song on the album. Peggy starts the song off with a gritty and hard-hitting melody which has an absolutely killer second half and a mouth-watering guitar solo, as well as a load of other beautiful sounds layered on top of it. The track was also released a month prior to the album like "SIN MIEDO", with a music video also being released. Next is "vulgar display of power", which follows a similar theme as the previous song, offering up an explosive mix of punk rock and rap. The hook itself makes the message pretty clear, with Peggy (and a sample of Method Man and Yaki Kadafi) saying how he "brings the pain".
"I'm so terminally online, goddamn, I gotta check myself, I'm so terminally online, goddamn, I don't respect myself"
"Exmilitary" samples the instrumental of Wu Tang Clan's "Tearz" (or "After Laughter (comes tears)" by Wendy Rene), but he slows it down a bit and chops it to perfection, with the beat occasionally flowing into a gritty, synth-heavy melody. The name of the song may be a reference to a collaboration with MC Ride, a member of Death Grips, that was teased, but ultimately unfulfilled. However, it is also a direct reference to his military past, seeing as he served in the United States Air Force before being discharged for speaking out against wrongful actions of his commanding officers. Peggy stays on the general topic of the military and politics with "JIHAD JOE", co-produced with Kenny Beats, and a reference to the current American president, Joe Biden. He talks about his love for all sorts of guns, especially anything made by the American gun manufacturer, Kimber. "JPEGULTRA!" comes next as he is joined by Denzel Curry, with production of the song being credited to, and stick with me for this one, Peggy himself (like on every other song on the album), Kenny Beats, Nick Lee, Billy Ray, and Alex Goldblatt. Both he and Denzel make a few terminally online references, and both absolutely eat up their verses. The beat itself is stunning, morphing from an upbeat chorus of trumpets into an awe-inspiring cacophony of instruments that feels like it should be on the playlist for the stairway to heaven.
"The first one was good with the beats, the second one put me up in the deep, the third one was sick, no disease, the fourth one I had to rush it to complete"
Calming the energy down a bit, "either on or off the drugs" and "loop it and leave it" are both far more laid back then the songs before them and transition the album into a majestic and highly melodic final stretch. Both songs are chock-full of fanservice like a Marvel movie, with Peggy making a number of call-backs to his previous albums like Veteran (2018) and All My Heroes Are Cornballs (2019). Both songs allow him to flow uninterrupted by any sudden switches to the beat, and his lyricism is second to none as he absolutely massacres both tracks. They also feature some of the cleanest production on the album and will definitely have any listener floating. "Don't Put Anything on the Bible" continues this final stretch, and features Buzzy Lee, the daughter of Steven Spielberg and an immensely talented musician in her own right. She lends her enchanting vocals to the track while also being credited with helping to produce it. Halfway through the beat switches, the tune is somehow even more stunning than at its start, as Peggy starts flowing again.
"Every argument comes with a cost, every dub ends up in a loss, gotta keep the facade of a boss, every picture developed is tossed"
The final song of the album, "i recovered from this", begins with a sample of Janet Jackson's "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)", one of Peggy's favorite musicians. While it feels like the song is at first meant to symbolize the end of the album, Peggy gets real and talks about his personal issues with relationships. He still remains confident, claiming his ex didn't get taken from him, but instead he lost her himself. Yet, he is not ignorant that his behavior is a thinly veiled facade, and he voices this realization throughout the song. To end it all off, he again makes a statement which could be considered him talking about the album but could also describe how he is finally done figuring himself out and realizing his flaws. It's an amazing way to end the album, showing the listener that despite his ego, which is definitely high, the lens through which he sees the world is still relatively grounded.
I personally cannot sing enough praises for I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, and the same can be said for many others who have had a chance to listen to it. Already being touted by some as the possible album of the year, anyone who listens to it will understand that its hype is not overblown. The LP's production is top tier, bringing together all the best aspects of Peggy's production while also overcoming some of the problems which were present on his last album, like having some questionable mixing on a few tracks. He has the innate ability to throw a million different sounds at a canvas and somehow make all of them work in perfect harmony, something only the most talented producers are capable of. The character he plays throughout the album, who may or may not resemble his character in real life, truly stands out as unique, despite a lot of musicians attempting to tote a cocky personality unsuccessfully. So, I advise any readers of this to give a good thorough listen to the album, and also to keep an eye out to see if Peggy is performing at a venue nearby.
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