I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU
It was a brat summer—at least, it was for me. What do we call it now? A pegged summer? That seems off. Anyway, JPEGMAFIA dropped a new album. Not going to lie, I was eagerly waiting for this one. He promised multiple albums this year, and this is the first. I’m not complaining; I’ll take anything.
This is JPEGMAFIA’s sixth official album. It just came out, and here are my thoughts.
With the leading singles “don’t rely on other men” and “SIN MIEDO,” we saw Peggy experiment with electro and grandiose, artificial productions—loud drums, big synths, everything. There’s a significant metal influence throughout the album, with loud electric guitars layered on top of each other. But like I said, there’s a lot of EDM influence in these beats, making for an interesting fusion. To be honest, this isn’t my favorite production from Peggy, just like I didn’t enjoy “END CREDITS” from LP. “I’ll be right there” is probably one of the best tracks for me—amazingly produced, calmer, groovier, and very well-researched. We get a classic JPEGMAFIA verse, politically charged as always, targeting MAGA supporters.
“It’s dark and hell is hot” isn’t my favorite either. It feels more like a remix than an actual Peggy-produced song. I can appreciate the complexity of the production, but honestly, this one is a skip for me.
“New black history” is AMAZING. The “Señorita” sample with a new Vince Staples verse was unexpected. On my first listen, I wondered what it would be like if Future and JPEGMAFIA were in the studio together. Obviously, this is a sample, and they weren’t recording together; that would be crazy. I really loved the track. They all killed it, and even the instrumental break at the end was killer. “Exmilitary” is another favorite—a longer track with a beautiful, sample-heavy beat and another politically charged Peggy verse with perfect flow. Around the halfway point, the track changes every 30 seconds, which is very fun. Heavy metal, ambient, and even some strings come in at one point. Absolute madness, but it creates beautiful chaos.
“JPEGULTRA” with Denzel Curry is my favorite track on the album. I love when these two link up; they never disappoint. The trumpet sample and energetic verse from Denzel were as expected. “You couldn’t even fuck with me if you had Tinder” made me laugh out loud on the first listen. Peggy also delivered. Everyone did their thing.
“Either on or off the drugs” is our first taste of tranquility on the album. The sample is amazing. It’s groovy with a verse reminiscing about his career and life. Loved this one a lot. “Loop it and leave it” has a similar vibe and is great too. “Don’t put anything on the Bible” features a 2-minute instrumental intro from Buzzy Lee that is simply beautiful. Peggy raps on it too. I enjoyed this one a lot. “I recovered from this” is another good track. For me, the sample at the beginning stole the show, but Peggy had a great performance too.
As you can see, I have a lot of positive things to say about this album. Apart from two tracks I’m iffy about (“Sin Miedo” and “It’s dark and hell is hot”), this album proves that JPEGMAFIA still has a lot to say and do for us and that he has earned his place at the top of the experimental rap genre. Loved this. Really loved this.
JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU
RATING - 8.7/10
FAVORITE TRACK - All
GENRE - Experimental hip hop, Industrial hip hop