And those verses are stellar, outstanding, more passionate and energized than anything the more established Jay has done in years. Not only that, but it also features verses from Jay-Z, who’d signed Jay Electronica to his Roc Nation imprint all those years ago, on nearly every song. Rap fans slowly but surely gave up on him, so much so that when he announced A Written Testimony, he was met with more skeptical ribbing than even faint excitement from an audience that had wearied of his semi-annual teases.īut then the damn thing actually dropped. However, unlike Andre, who at least has a catalog of projects with Outkast and his solo half of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below to call back to, Jay Electronica only had those guest spots, a bunch of loose tracks, and a handful of unofficial EPs and mixtapes hinting at his greatness, yet never truly confirming it. Through a sprinkling of standout guest verses on other rappers’ projects - from Big Sean to Chance The Rapper to Dave East and even R&B producer Poo Bear - he attained mythical status among hip-hop fans akin to that of Andre 3000. He maintained a Punxsutawney Phil-esque presence on social media, popping his head above the surface every so often to offer his insights on rap battles, lyricism, and the “ false concept” of albums as he steadfastly refused to release one of his own. His promise seemed infinite, but just when the world needed him most, he vanished.Įxcept, he didn’t really. He seemed like the perfected avatar of the then-new school blog rapper, the harbinger of a new age reminiscent of the first Golden Era and the potential presented by 20 years of technological advances. His songs “Exhibit A” and “Exhibit C” were hailed by purists as the resurrection of real rap, peppered with arcane references to Five Percenter philosophy and Nation Of Islam religiosity. ![]() Back at the height of the so-called “blog era,” Jay Electronica emerged as a mysterious sage, a wizened prophet of hip-hop eras gone by and an esoteric potential future. The buildup to this project has been long, tumultuous, and filled with false starts and broken promises. ![]() While utilizing Hov’s skills as an executive producer and rapper on Testimony does have the unfortunate side effect of rendering the project more of a joint album than the solo debut we’ve all been waiting for, it also presents plenty of moments that ensure it’s anything but disappointing. While the hype of the moment would have presented a difficult-to-surmount challenge, Jay Electronica did have one secret weapon at his disposal: His mentor, label boss, and friend Jay-Z. I’ll say this for Jay Electronica: There was almost no way his debut album, A Written Testimony, could ever live up to the near-decade of hype surrounding its release, but he does his absolute damnedest to make sure it comes close. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year.
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