Today, a new era of “Split Record Review” is unveiled! Featuring Henry St. Pierre and James Fitzpatrick, the two writers will go head-to-head to write about the same album each week, all the while offering similar or different perspectives. First on the list is “I Lay Down My Life for You” by JPEGMAFIA, released in August of this year. Will the writers reach a consensus, or will disagreement emerge?
Henry’s Review:
Still fresh off the heels of “Scaring the Hoes,” JPEGMAFIA, also known as Peggy, is back with “I Lay Down My Life for You.” He continues to display his unwavering ability to craft witty bars and inventive song structures.
Right off the rip, the samples are a standout part of this record, taking from several different genres, like bebop, metal and gospel. The creative sample work and Peggy’s surreal bars come together to create a sound that is unmistakable in the world of modern hip-hop. No one in the game sounds like him and no one really could. While some criticize modern hip-hop for being largely trend-based, Peggy carved out his own path to success.
One song that showcases the eclectic nature of the album is the opener, “I Scream This in the Mirror Before I Interact with Anyone.” The cut blends quietly anxious verses with loud, groove metal-infused choruses and an electronic breakdown in the middle. It’s a cacophonous symphony of influences and themes but serves as a backdrop for JPEG’s poignant lyricism.
“I Lay Down My Life for You” cements Peggy’s status as a permanent outsider. Throughout his career, Peggy’s eccentric nature kept him from reaching truly mainstream success in the same way that his contemporaries did. Though his success has undoubtedly skyrocketed in the past few years, he manages to skirt around any notion of “selling out.” Whereas many other musicians in the hip-hop game will alter their style to reach an upper echelon of popularity, it has become Peggy’s mission to do the exact opposite.
While JPEG’s prolific and clever lyrics are a highlight of the record, the sample choices often steal the show. “Vulgar Display of Power” is a great example of this, delivering a sparse but hard-hitting instrumental full of driving guitars and strange sounds from front to back. Excellent sound design is just another box this record can check.
“I Lay Down My Life for You” is another banger under JPEG’s belt, though most fans won’t be surprised by his continuing unpredictability. There’s so much to unpack in this record that can’t be explained by words on a page; every re-listen will lead to a new discovery.
Rating: 4.5/5
James’ Review:
“I Lay Down My Life for You” is certainly another creative release where Peggy reinvents his sound yet again, leading to some of his most exciting and worrying output thus far. Collaborations with Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and other high-profile names are evidence of the continuing upward trajectory in Peggy’s career, and not because he’s following — or even creating — trends. He’s obsessed with social media and criticizing others but will always be in his own lane musically.
A major theme of his previous album with Danny Brown, “Scaring the Hoes,” is that artists who have “made it” like them often alienate their core fans by making trendy music for personal gain. Brown and Peggy, though — especially the latter — jettison this temptation by sticking to their esoteric roots and continue churning out genuinely interesting music (and singular $50 vinyl records) to stay thriving. Things are no different with “I Lay Down My Life for You,” but I believe he has taken a bird’s eye view of his fanbase that influenced a few recurring production choices on the record.
For one, Peggy is embracing rock aesthetics more than ever on this record. “I Scream This in the Mirror Before I Interact with Anyone” introduces the listener with some epic guitar shredding, while an interesting moment is when Peggy calls himself “chronically online” on the guitar and drum-backed “Jihad Joe.” Juxtaposing these songs with gospel flips on “I’ll Be Right There” and the relatively mellow “Either On or Off the Drugs” proves this record is one hell of a hodgepodge.
The multiple sample flips, including that of “Tearz” by the Wu-Tang Clan on “Exmilitary,” come off as lazy and not very transformative of the original work, unlike the banger of a beat he turned an Ol’ Dirty Bastard vocal line into on “Real Nega” years prior. “New Black History” is also a weird “sample-ception” situation where the song features Vince Staples, who released “Señorita” almost a decade ago now with the same Future sample. I don’t think Peggy is growing complacent with producing — actually quite the contrary — but I don’t think paying the royalties for those samples based on how he used them is even worth it for him, let alone the listener.
Keeping his features sparse as usual, the performances by other artists on this album are strong. Staples keeps a good flow on his short 30-second verse on “New Black History,” and “JPEGUltra!” has been lauded by fans for being another instance of Peggy and Denzel Curry’s chemistry with more to offer than their previous collaborations, including the two hyping each other up in an introduction reminiscent to tracks off “Madvillainy.” “Don’t Put Anything On the Bible” is a cinematic high-point on the record as well, with strings and angelic singing by Buzzy Lee.
I may still have a recency bias from seeing him live in New York City earlier this month, but I will forever treasure the singles from this album, “Sin Miedo” and “Don’t Rely on Other Men,” for being two incredible live performance songs. Boundless energy stems from the beats where short vocal clips are interlaced with thumping bass that could make the most stoic figure turn up. The intensity of the mosh pit, when these newer tracks were performed could only be rivaled by that of his classic tour song, “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot.” The increasingly electronic and abrasive rabbit hole he’s taking his style down entices me to go to a rave and compare the two experiences because I feel prepared after attending that show, and I would continue to keep this guy on your radar for being one of the hottest voices in rap right now.
Rating: 3.5/5