LP! Album Review

After a series of EP’s, singles, and music videos, rapper, singer, producer, and a man of many other titles JPEGMAFIA, also known as Peggy, has returned to the music scene to deliver one of his most anticipated albums to date, LP!.

I feel as though this project perfectly captures the experimental takes on traditional Hip-Hop/Pop that Peggy is commonly known for. It consists of ear grabbing beats such as the wonky instrumental for NEMO!, and vocal covers of early 2000s radio hits (which JPEG is no stranger to at this point in his career).

It feels as if Peggy has recaptured that unpredictability that made his earlier albums such an exciting guessing game, as apposed to his recently released EP’s, which had a more formulaic approach to them in terms of beat selection and subject matter. His ability to sequence his album from slower, RNB inspired tracks to more hard hitting, faster and aggressive rap songs is impressive and accomplished in such a way that only few artists have been able to. LP! is everything the Baltimore native has honed up to this point.

It’s also worth mentioning this album is split into two different versions, an “online” version which is available on streaming platforms that contract revenue such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, etc., and an “offline” version which is on YouTube, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, basically any service that does not provide Peggy with streaming money. It is set up this way due to sample clearances and record label restrictions, resulting in the “offline” version to consist of more tracks and bonus material from JPEG. The situation is comparable to Frank Ocean’s record label scheme involving Def Jam Recordings.

This remarkable album closes out with very triumphant sounding horns and guitars, which can be seen as a step in a new direction for the BALD! rapper. If you’re seeking a breath of fresh air in your music library, LP! is definitely a project worth giving a shot. I personally rate it a 9/10, with my favorite track being DIRTY!