JPEGMAFIA Controls The Chaos On “I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU”

JPEGMAFIA is a menace. The man raps like nobody else, and makes beats like nobody else. He sounds beamed in from another dimension, where hip-hop is slightly off-kilter, and it’s incredible. Peggy reached a cultural high with his Danny Brown collab SCARING THE H*ES in 2023, but he’s back to doing what he does best on his new solo album. I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU definitely scares the h*es, but there’s darker elements at play here, and JPEGMAFIA channels them all brilliantly. The opener, “i scream this in the mirror before I interact with anyone,” lives up to its antisocial title. Guitar riffs crash into Peggy’s voice, resulting in an unhinged sonic stew.

There’s more of a traditional rap sound on the rest of the album, but only barely. “SIN MIEDO” flips a classic Miami bass sample into the musical equivalent of a mosh pit. “I’ll Be Right There” provides an unexpected breather, with its lush strings and romantic and the Jade sample spliced throughout. The artist has a knack for making incongruous sounds work together to create something unexpected, and the best parts of I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU stem from this unpredictability. It also helps that Peggy has electric chemistry with the likes of Vince Staples and Denzel Curry. Staples sounds menacing as ever on “New Black History,” while Curry skates over a messy horn break on “JPEGULTURA!” JPEGMAFIA also finds time to diss Drake multiple times, but you can read more about that here. Overall, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU is another triumph.

I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU tracklist:

1. i scream this in the mirror before i interact with anyone
2. SIN MIEDO
3. I’ll Be Right There
4. it’s dark and hell is hot (featuring Freaky)
5. New Black History (featuring Vince Staples)
6. don’t rely on other men (featuring Freaky)
7. vulgar display of power
8. Exmilitary
9. JIHAD JOE
10. JPEGULTRA! (featuring Denzel Curry)
11. either on or off the drugs
12. loop it and leave it
13. Don’t Put Anything on the Bible (featuring Buzzy Lee)
14. i recovered from this