The student news site of Baldwin High School

The Purbalite

The student news site of Baldwin High School

The Purbalite

The student news site of Baldwin High School

The Purbalite

Advertisment
Zach Landscaping
Support Us

Your donation will support the student journalists of Baldwin High School. Your contribution will allow us to fund our newspaper and cover our annual website hosting costs.

Advertisment
Zach Landscaping
Support Us

Your donation will support the student journalists of Baldwin High School. Your contribution will allow us to fund our newspaper and cover our annual website hosting costs.

Essential Listening: ‘Slow Jams’ is a landmark rap record

Communist Slow Jams is a rap landmark record. Photo via Republic Records.
Communist Slow Jams is a rap landmark record. Photo via Republic Records.

Tired of your Spotify playlists? The Purbalite is here to help with our Essential Listening series.

Jpegmafia has always been known for his out-of-the-box style and the artistic angles in his music. Communist Slow Jams, from 2015, is the most artistic piece in his career.

The samples, vocals, production, and lyrics all come together to create gritty electronic songs. Describing an overly self-conscious man’s perspective of the world, this album includes a decent bit of self-reflection from Peggy, along with being a reflection on society as a whole. 

“Japan” details Peggy’s experience of living in Japan while being stationed there for the military and living there of his own personal accord. Peggy discusses the racial bias he experienced as a Black man traveling in Japan, explaining that he was a victim of bias there just as he had been in America. 

Easily one of the coolest beats on this amazingly strong, production-heavy album comes in the song “I’ll Never Forgive Hipsters For What They Did To Brooklyn.” Peggy utilizes a high-pitched sample to work as a bridge between verses and choruses throughout the track. 

“Polly” is another stellar song, as Peggy uses various samples of people saying “Polly” to fill in for him when speaking to the title character. This is an impressive feat, but what makes it stand out is the drop in between verses, which utilizes gospel samples and synths to make a phenomenal sound. 

“Mother’s Milk” is the most straightforward song on the album as it has the most down-to-earth beat. However, the lyrics and flow still reach far out of the box. 

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributor
Ethan Stock
Ethan Stock, Multimedia Editor
Multimedia Editor Ethan Stock is a junior and a third-year member on the Purbalite staff. When he isn’t digging through bins at a local record store he’s either out with friends or listening to Mac Miller.
Donate to The Purbalite
$345
$750
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The Purbalite Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *