JPEGMAFIA is currently under fire for his hate comments, propelling discourse for his new album, Experimental Rap. Although known for starting beef to spark buzz, fans think he took it too far, choosing beloved Earl Sweatshirt as his recent victim. Fans have been going wild online, either validating his egotistical comments with praise or attacking his character. By beefing with another well-respected experimental rap artist, he has divided their shared fan base, affecting how the album is digested. Here is an album review that contextualizes its online reactions within its digital climate.
Artist introduction
Jpegmafia’s real name is Barrington DeVaughn Hendricks. He is also referred to as Peggy, Jpeg, or his previous alias, Devon Hendryx, who has repeatedly deemed himself the king of experimental rap. Whether that title is well deserved is up for debate. Peggy is known for his gritty, satirical, and vulgar lyrics, aggressively rapped over almost incomprehensible beats/instrumentals. He is widely recognized for his genre-defying production choices and sampling.
He was born in New York and raised in a small town in Alabama. Here, he was taught there were no other options than the military, and immediately enlisted when he turned 18. After relocating to places like Baltimore, he absorbed diverse musical and cultural influences that he later blended into his tracks. While based in Japan, he started making music under the name Devon Hendryx. Despite his talent and efforts, Hendryx’s unique and hypnotic production style failed to reach an audience. So he decided to pivot, hoping that with a new name, he could have a second chance.
Jpegmafia
He started releasing music under the name Jpegmafia, notably switching his sound to something more “rage” and less cloudy. When he dropped the album Veteran, traction increased, launching his career. Peggy’s main strength in my eyes is his uniqueness. If you are in the mood for Jpegmafia, you have to listen to jpegmafia. Nothing gets close enough to his distinctive grit. Much of his music remained in the underground for the majority of his career.
In 2021, his album LP opened him up to a more mainstream audience. This album was much more playable for the average rap listener and expanded his audience. Although popularity benefits any artist financially, his challenging discography entering the mainstream rap scene had fans defending him relentlessly. Some would say you have to train your ears to fully enjoy a beat. As experimental rap evolves and enters the mainstream, his sound actively gains respect. But listenability is only half of the equation, as much of that respect is undermined by his extremist views and provocative persona.
Personality
Peggy has a very extreme Internet personality, very reflective in his music. A 2018 interview for Pitchfork writes, “He isn’t a troll, but he’s internalized the logic and language of trolls in a way that makes you think he’s the sort of Chosen One who could actually win an argument in a comment section.” He speaks from and about “the pitfalls of making provocative art in an era of contextless screenshotting” in his music. He explores the emotional impact of military service, childhood experiences with racism, and the role of social media in spreading hate.
“Virtually everything I say on record, or do, has already been said or done worse to me,” so when he reclaims that energy, such as wearing an American Flag or combating oppressive ideology online with even more extreme retaliation, he does it to “piss them off.” While a lot of fans love this side of Peggy, arguing that his musical character contributes to his favorability, but most shame his ego, claiming he’s just annoying.
Earl Diss
While it may have been his intention, his derogatory comments, obviously aimed at Earl Sweatshirt, dragged Peggy through the mud. The Pigeons and Planes interview is linked below, where he discusses the experimental scene and calls out involved artists.
In the interview, he said, “with Experimental Rap, I just wanted to lay claim to something I already have. I’m already the best in this space of experimental rap. There’s no one that competes with me.” He continues that other people in the genre pretend to be something that they’re not. They align themselves with “cooler” or trendier genres. Jpegmafia calls out rappers for trying to “rap like Lucki” or “make songs like the young people make.” He counters that he’s “not having a midlife crisis musically, so [he] doesn’t really need to do that. [He] can just be himself.”
Without directly naming artists, arrows point to Earl Sweatshirt. Recently, Earl has gravitated toward trap-style beats, particularly on his collaborative album with MIKE, produced by SURF GANG, POMPEII // UTILITY. On the album, Earl’s flow does draw obvious comparisons to Lucki, supporting this attribution. So, he accepted the shots and chimed back in the comment section.
His insults actually got more attention than promotional singles, as music critic Anthony Fantano calls out in his video on the matter. But when Jpeg responded by thanking Earl for the publicity, I began to question the sincerity of his intentions. As I said above, this is nowhere near out of character for the rapper, as he’s even taken shots at Drake. But in this case, it may have been a mistake.
Fan criticism
While people thought the split between the artists’ fan bases would be more equal, Earl proved to be a much more favorable individual, winning over the majority of the experimental rap fanbase. The masses turned on Jpegmafia, despite a very well-received last album. I Lay Down My Life For You was the first album of his that didn’t require much public defending from his fans. But since his recent scandal, everyone has begun switching up. Now, conversations online surround his perceived lack of creativity and stagnant style over the past year. These two insults are absolute blasphemy. Coming from an objective stance, while much of his music may sound similar, he utilizes a multitude of production styles to blend genres in a way never heard before.
Most reactions flame Peggy. They call him corny and flag him for his constant attention-seeking behavior and inflated ego, but what else is new? I worry that backlash from his comments will negatively shape public perception of the album.
Album review
When I first listened to the Experimental Rap on its May 21 release, I thought it was an absolutely perfect execution of the title. He blended genres, specifically punk and EDM, with his normal rage rap sound, although slightly overdone. Looking back at my notes, I repeat phrases like “never heard this before” and “so fun.” Peggy is immensely talented when it comes to composition and curation. He has an ear for knowing what sounds go where. He constructs almost nonsensical pieces that still manage to sound intentional. The promotional singles dropped before the album’s full release sounded closer to his previous work with ILDMLFY and other sporadic releases this year; however, they tied nicely with fresh tracks that had my jaw dropped.
Tracks 4 and 6 feel like the definition of experimental rap. But by the time you reach track 7, you start to realize that the album’s production does much of the heavy lifting behind that title. While I have always been a fan of Peggy’s vocals, his flow lacks diversity within this project. He takes on the same mundane speech for what sounds like the majority of the album. He brings in samples of old church songs and pop references, taking experimentation to a heightened level. But with a deeper knowledge of the current underground music scene, you realize he relies too heavily on volume and aggression rather than genuine experimentation. Despite being what I’d consider his weakest album, it still earns a strong 7 out of 10 from me.
Lights
I have to talk about track 16, Lights, which samples All of the Lights by Kanye West. While vigorously made fun of online, I thought this was absolutely genius. He is often clowned on for taking on a Kanye-esque personality, with fans joking that he thinks he’s him. While the sample may perpetuate this bit, I thought it was a playful and almost campy, way to make light of the situation. His lyrics, almost comically, fit in with his usual call-outs. And he continues to overuse electric guitar riffs over trap beats. To me, it seems like he’s playing into the jokes made about him, proving his ego from above is merely promotional satire. But online reactions don’t seem to agree.
I view this track as an encapsulation of this situation. While I have witnessed Lights being declared Peggy’s worst song in multiple online spaces, such as X and Reddit, I want to argue that that is the point. While I agree the sample may be “uninspired,” I think it is a playful nod to hate comments. With the beef above, combined with his humorous black leather outfits and egotistical personification, it is so clear to me the character that he is portraying. In this track, he embodies fan reactions, solidifying the beef as a promotional tactic or social experiment. Maybe I am reaching, trying to justify a weak album and rude narcissistic behavior; but as a long time fan, I wouldn’t put it past him.
Fan opinions
After listening to the album immediately after release, I began spam refreshing X, taking notes on the most popular opinions. Everyone seems to agree that the album was strong, but underwhelming. While the album fits well within the experimental rap genre, nothing new is being done here, causing a lot of backlash.
A lot of people think the album is just a bunch of nonsense, mixing unrelated sounds and genres, creating experimental “slop,” but that opinion has held for much of his career, and could even define his sound.
There is no clear fan consensus on the album, with most people finding it underwhelming yet still somewhat entertaining. There is a lot of praise, but what seems like even more hate. What I wonder is if much of that hate is sparked more by his undeserving ego, or the actual sound. While the album may be repetitive and fall directly within the bounds of the experimental rap genre, it is still insanely strong. Without comparing this sound to his previous, and taking his annoying personality and ego out of the equation, I would argue that the album is a super fun listen, and would recommend it to fans of rap, rage, EDM, trap, etc. While much of this sound is not new, it cannot fit into any other category. It is defined by its genre rather than its creativity, and maybe that was the point?
Peggy’s response
Jpegmafia, unsurprisingly, has lashed out, replying to these hate comments. He calls out listeners for cherry picking artists’ faults, choosing when to call artists out in accordance with their own musical opinions rather than genuine concern.
In this comment, he makes it very clear that the intentions behind this album had less to do with his creative experimentation and expression, and more so baiting his audience for reactions. Some argue that this might be a coping mechanism for its poor reception, but again, this fits very well within the context of his past antics and internet personality. While I don’t see what he earns from the situation, rage-bait has proven to be overly effective as a promotional technique in media lately. If anything, he has set a high bar for his next release, where he will have to prove this excuse with total originality.
Overall
While Experimental Rap is extremely weak in comparison to his past discography, it is still a decent album with many highlights. Standing alone, the sound is fun and exciting, definitely worth the listen. While starting beef and trolling online may have been a promotional technique, it mainly just agitated fans. Contextualizing the piece in an environment Peggy curated for its release, it is no shocker that it was received so poorly.
This proposed social experiment may have tanked the album’s reception, but it does draw questions regarding how much the artist’s personality plays in how we perceive their music. He succeeded in pissing off the experimental rap community, starting beef with Earl Sweatshirt, and curating an environment that circulates hate. He allowed that hate to dictate his album and its perceptions, all for a “got ya.” While definitely annoying, this is classic Jpegmafia. He has gotten us to question not only his talent but the lens through which we perceive it, certifying the power of a comment section over our musical taste.
