Hear JPEGMAFIA’s Uncomfortably Dope Music

As a species, humans are drawn to uncomfortable things. Just google “Dr. Pimple Popper” and you’ll find videos with millions of views. It’s pretty disgusting and difficult to watch so on second thought, don’t google it, but you get the idea. What you should do is google JPEGMAFIA and see what all the talk is about. He’s made a name for himself rapping about the uncomfortable. Whether he’s getting political with tracks like “I Might Vote 4 Donald Trump” or commenting on cultural/racial topics on “I Cannot F******g Wait Until Morissey Dies,” JPEGMAFIA is not afraid to express himself. Is he a “villain or satirist, hood protector or nihilist?” The world may never know, but what is plainly obvious is JPEGMAFIA makes those tough to swallow, uncomfortable topics sound dope.

JPEGMAFIA – Baby I’m Bleeding

The standout track off JPEGMAFIA’s album Veteran released in January 2018 has to be this one. The beat is a stuttering loop that has the presence of a basketball being bounced rapidly on a cement court. On the opening line, he raps “Peggy where you been at/getting all this promo.” For those not in the know, Peggy is his nickname and it’s true his previous release Black Ben Carson brought him a bunch of attention from the likes of the Needle Drop and Complex.

The opening track off of Veteran has Peggy rapping over a bouncy, melodic beat and dropping interesting references. One of the most interesting things about JPEGMAFIA–his brain is like a ball of pop culture. Drake, Kellyanne Conway, Myke C from Dead End Hip Hop, Short Circuit’s Johnny 5, the video game Metal Gear, and Ice Cube all get name-dropped amidst witty, clever lyrics.

It’s been a bad few weeks for Drake. He’s caught some bad smoke. JPEGMAFIA was dealing it out too back in 2016. Remember I said JPEGMAFIA can make you feel uncomfortable? If it wasn’t evident before this is what I’m talking about. As he said in an interview, “The people I’m talking about — I’m giving it right back to them the way they give it to me. So like I don’t really feel no type way because, at the end of the day, I know that everything I’m doing has been done to me and other people ten times worse in real life. I’m just saying it on the record.” This is what rap is supposed to do on some levels.

JPEGMAFIA LIVE SXSW 2018

I’ve skirted around a lot of JPEGMAFIA’s more controversial content. It’s not because it makes me uncomfortable to talk about or because I’m unaware of it, I’ve intentionally chosen not to highlight it and let you the reader/listener make up your mind after listening.

The other thing is, Peggy realizes he’s taking on the common Internet role of contrarian. He once said, “I think I am [a contrarian], but that’s the part about me that’s most compelling. I take a stance on things. I can also contradict myself. I contradict myself a lot. I think me being contrarian is a strong part of my personality. It just makes me human. Everything I do on record is an exaggerated version of the real me.” Like a haunted house like JPEGMAFIA’s music is kind of scary but that uncomfortable feeling is also really freaking fun and entertaining.

You can catch JPEGMAFIA alongside Kevin Gates, Vince Staples, Juice WRLD and more at Goldrush Music Festival. See the whole lineup and grab tickets here.

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