JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU Review
Even with his focus on the production side, Peggy’s penmanship is as strong as ever, showing that he really can do it all.
Rapper, producer, and polarising figurehead of the underground, JPEGMAFIA, is back with his sixth studio album, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU. Listeners had high expectations for his follow-up to the collaborative album SCARING THE HOES with fellow experimentalist Danny Brown. Coupled with the strength of Peggy’s catalog, fans were eager for this album to be released, and the finished product did anything but disappoint. Peggy’s standard for his work keeps improving as he continues to show why he is one of the most talented producers in the musical world.
As expected, Peggy’s skill in sampling and production is once again an obvious highlight. The eclectic samples are seamlessly woven into each track, demonstrating his ability to steer songs in various directions. For instance, the single “don’t rely on other men” features harsh, abrasive elements, while “loop it and leave it” offers a more transcendent experience.
The opening track “i scream this in the mirror before i interact with anyone” sets the tone for the album, with Peggy immediately likening himself to a worse version of NBA player Dillon Brooks, a so-called villain in the eyes of sports media. Other lyrics bragging about his skills as a producer are done with Peggy’s usual wit and strong penmanship. This is coupled with distorted guitar riffs and explosive drums that fade in and out between a rhythmic symbol beat that builds and releases tension. In the third verse, Peggy switches to a sample of the Boneless emote from the popular video game Fortnite. Yes, Peggy sampled a Fortnite emote, and it sounds really good, adding another dimension to the song. Somehow, he finds a way to fit all this creativity into a minute and 48 seconds.
Next is the standout single, “SIN MIEDO”. This track uses a sample from Hoochie Mama’s “2 Live Crew” as its main guiding force as the song displays elements from a plethora of genres, including industrial hip-hop, glitch hop, breakbeat, and rock. The other single, “don’t rely on other men”, was altered on the album version. These changes include better mixing and a more realized ending, making the changes feel like improvements for the album listening.
The album also contains a handful of standout features. On “New Black History”, Vince Staples delivers a poised and cohesive verse with Peggy and the vocal sample from Future’s “Covered N Money”. Sampling a fantastic horn loop from Japanese jazz band Akira Ishikawa & His Count Buffalos, “JPEGULTRA!” showcases another collaboration with none other than Denzel Curry, whose southern charm brings the song to life. Another frequent collaborator with Peggy, Buzzy Lee provides the lead vocals to the hauntingly angelic “Don’t Put Anything On The Bible”.
JPEGMAFIA embraces a lot of the discussion around him and his music. Specifically, the constant comparison to the legendary experimental group Death Grips. “Exmilitary” shares its title with Death Grip’s breakout mixtape and is also a nod to his history in the Air Force. The blown-out guitar leads and solos throughout the project also share sonic similarities with Death Grip’s Jenny Death, where the group started to lean more into guitars for their production. Peggy’s distorted and shrieking vocal deliveries on tracks like “vulgar display of power” and “JIHAD JOE” are also reminiscent of Death Grips, with the former even sounding like Playboi Carti’s vocals from Whole Lotta Red. Even with these similarities, not once does it feel like Peggy is taking anything from these artists without putting his creative spin and angle on it, justifying its own existence.
The final leg of the album sees Peggy become more introspective and vulnerable, such as the discussion of his mental state on “either on or off the drugs”. The final song on the album, “i recovered from this”, has Peggy discuss failings in previous relationships and how it affects him to this day. It’s an emotional ending, especially when paired with an angelic vocal performance of a reference to Janet Jackson’s “Funny How Time Flies (When You’re Having Fun)”, who is one of Peggy’s favorite artists. Even with the struggles Peggy mentions, the song and album as a whole ends on a hopeful note, with Peggy telling himself and listeners that he’s finally done with this album after working on it for so long.
In terms of the negatives of the album, they are few and far between. The most notable is the DMX nod, “it’s dark and hell is hot”, a collaboration with Brazilian-funk artist DJ RaMeMes. The song itself is great, with its vocal sample and fusion of funk and industrial complementing Peggy’s style surprisingly well. It even includes shots at Drake, who can’t seem to catch a break this year. The only problem is that the sonic direction this track takes is so unique and different from the songs preceding and following it, that it interrupts the flow of the album ever so slightly.
I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU takes all of Peggy’s production strengths from previous releases and incorporates a punk rock aesthetic. Even with his focus on the production side, Peggy’s penmanship is as strong as ever, showing that he really can do it all. Compared to his past works, this new release is on the shorter side, standing at 14 tracks and 41 minutes. Even given its length, Peggy doesn’t sacrifice artistic integrity and finds the perfect balance of how much to include for every track. Each song doesn’t stay past its welcome, while also not leaving the listener underwhelmed or wanting more out of the track. Peggy is at a point in his artistic career where if he has a vision, he has the experience and talent to execute that vision, which can clearly be seen on one of the best hip-hop albums of the year.