- Over the past year and a half, Maryland rapper JPEGMAFIA has experienced a sudden explosion of internet love. Arising primarily from his 2018 sophomore record Veteran, he continued the hype with loose singles and major guest verses. His combination of political commentary, saturated with irony and off the wall electronic production (often, somewhat unfairly, compared to Death Grips) has made Peggy a star of forums and a rapper to watch.
The politics continue along a more subdued electronic route on his latest record All My Heroes are Cornballs, an album, like its creator, that came out of almost nowhere. It begins with the explosive single Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot in which JPEGMAFIA explores his life after the advent of fame by paralleling his experiences with that of a promiscuous female character. The production is lively with blissful piano chords and a fat bass as well as a multitude of vocal samples and adlibs. The chorus is one of Peggy’s best as he croons internet lingo with ear-grabbing autotune. A standout of both the album and Peggy’s discography, Jesus Forgive Me is a top single of the year.
Beta Male Strategies sees Peggy threaten and denounce keyboard warriors, telling his trolls to publicly put their money where their mouth is. Beginning the song by rapping, with a mouthful of food, all blasé-like, the lyrics paint their targets as unimpressive and clownish rather than a serious threat. For majority of the song, the production is a short loop that slowly builds to a distorted guitar accentuating the uncaring, alpha qualities of the cut, as if Peggy could dominate his critics in his sleep.
JPEGMAFIA’s signature, hard-hitting industrial sound is in full effect on the album's title-track. The beat feels directly inspired by classical Asian music, incorporating wind chime-esque samples over simple yet effective drums. Peggy’s threatening demeanour is still in full force, showering violent thoughts on his enemies and disdain on his growing fanbase in the online incel community. In his traditional doing-things-because-he-can style, Peggy ends the track with a simple excerpt of his friend ordering food from a Wendy’s drive-thru, to humorous effect.
This creative pattern is continued on the short BasicBitchTearGas, a cover of the classic TLC track No Scrubs. Despite being a jarring idea on paper, Peggy makes it work, effectively expressing his contempt for hyper-masculinity.
The closing cut, Papi I’ve Missed You is both reflective and a look to the future. The lyrics are racially charged: Peggy going off at old white people in a “you hate me, so I hate you” dynamic. He deftly ties it in to his long, lyrical history on this gripe. Even if he's harping on a point, closing with a harrowing minute and a half outro, the song is a solid finish.
All My Heroes are Cornballs is a record that tells you where internet hype is at in 2019. Despite all the hyperbole and praise showered upon it, the album is not without flaws. It's overlong and repetitive, hammering out its points again and again as if there was any chance you could miss them. Through all that JPEGMAFIA still shines on. His unlikely ability to weld hilarity to serious political commentary and stuff it all into self-made industrial production monstrosity guarantees a unique record. It's an oddity that proves hiphop is in great shape as a new decade looms large.
- James Chadwick.