With JPEGMAFIA, The Internet Generation Gets Angry

The largely youth-led 2020 protests are proof: the internet generation is pissed off with the way things are. They argue their left-leaning politics with more anger and urgency than any time in recent memory as they take on issues of racial justice, climate change, and much more. And over the last five years, no artist could see all this coming as clearly as the unapologetically provocative JPEGMAFIA.

Written by Adithya Srinivas

The current political atmosphere in the United States is hostile — there’s really no hiding it. If you need evidence, look no further than the nationwide protests in support of racial justice following the police killing of George Floyd and the Trump administration’s subsequent violent crackdown on the demonstrations. These events have been a culmination of younger generations moving their politics further and further to the left as they respond to the unwillingness of the political establishment to improve the lives of citizens. While 2020 brought these forces to the forefront, hip-hop producer and rapper JPEGMAFIA certainly saw it all coming and has been pushing this leftist energy to his quickly growing fanbase for years.

Did JPEGMAFIA invent conscious lyricism? No. Was he the first to prominently and angrily feature leftist themes in his music? Definitely not. Are his projects the only ones in hip-hop to have experimental production? Again, no. Yet, the Los Angeles artist is ahead of the curve by putting all of these elements together and still becoming commercially successful and popular. No one in hip-hop with well over one million monthly Spotify listeners has been nearly as willing to take the risks in messaging that Peggy has, and this lack of compromise has been JPEGMAFIA’s M.O. since day one — well before the political climate of today.

From 2013’s The Ghost~Pop Tape through 2019’s All My Heroes Are Cornballs, JPEGMAFIA’s consistent alt-right trolling and no-one-is-safe approach to criticism stands out as the most aggressive in popular hip-hop discographies. The aptly named 2015 album Communist Slow Jams exposes everyone from Pharell Williams to Tina Fey to Motorhead leader Lemmy Kilmister for being class traitors, racists, sell-outs, and fake-woke liberals.

On the track “Lee Daniels Freestyle,” Peggy even goes after the feminist, LGBTQ+, Asian, and Latinx communities for the prejudices they perpetuate against Black people. He never misses an opportunity to goad white supremacists and the alt-right either, with numerous bars like “I’m a left-wing Hades” and “we don’t f-ck with alt-right, y’all ain’t never been a threat.” He always follows up these jabs with references to guns and threats of violence against fascists.

Tracks dripping in caustic sarcasm like “I Might Vote 4 Donald Trump” are built to offend both liberals and conservatives, with bars such as “I’m trying to bring back the South” and “Trump era, I’ll be killing the Feds.” Song titles like “I Cannot F----ing Wait Til Morrissey Dies,” “I Just Killed A Cop Now I’m Horny,” “Libtard Anthem,” and “I’ll Never Forgive Hipsters For What They Did To Brooklyn” are just another tool for JPEGMAFIA to provoke and offend as many people as possible.

Of course, all of this has led to moments where the artist has been criticized for going too far, such as praising Micah Johnson (the man who ambushed and killed five police officers in Dallas in 2016), sampling a video of a police officer being murdered, and tongue-in-cheek use of Confederate imagery and talking points. But again, these are designed to elicit a reaction, and Peggy’s usage of these elements aimed to stir controversy in the first place.

The shock factor goes on and on. JPEGMAFIA’s equal-opportunity provocation and bashing have created an exhaustive list of lyrical targets that no other artist is willing to amass. Peggy has a bar for everyone (yes, even you) and the urgency and outrage with which he approaches his music is wholly infectious. This same unhesitant willingness to call others out for problematic behavior has come to define internet activism among young people in the last several years. While some think it’s counterproductive, it’s a fundamental push to make everyone try to recognize and change the worst parts of themselves. But as far as popular politics go, JPEGMAFIA has been pushing his leftism and vitriol for years, “before it was cool” today.

However, Peggy’s ahead of the curve messaging is only half the story. His success should also be credited to his talent as a musician, particularly as an experimental producer. Tracks like “Thug Tears,” “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot,” and “BUMBOP-SSYRASCLAT” start as abrasive and formless, as incessantly sampled pen clicks slowly reveal an infectious beat underneath. The synthetic instrumentals he chooses are grimy and unstable, layered over aggressive and guttural bass hits reaching every inch of the mix. The percussion’s rhythm is often unorthodox and difficult to follow on first listen, but still matches perfectly with the lyrical flow and synthetic leads. Sporadically placed accents from pianos, guitars, and high-pitched percussion all add flair to an already complex instrumental, but are never distracting. These intricately woven walls of sound complement his lyrical hostility and create a style unlike any other producer’s.

Yet, tracks like “Free The Frail” and “Grimy Waifu” display elements of serenity within the surrounding mayhem, as Peggy introduces more melodic sounds from his synths and calmly delivered lyrical passages. Further attempting to dial back the constancy of his political and productional aggression, these songs also feature more singing than others, both from JPEGMAFIA and featured collaborators like Helena Deland. Even some of his more “traditionally” produced tracks like “1539 N. Calvert” retain over-the-top synths, but leave most of the noise and glitch elements at the door — they still sound stylistically connected to the experimental cuts, while remaining more accessible to more casual fans.

Peggy’s sampling prowess also helps his relatability with younger listeners, featuring flipped sounds from video games like the “Metal Gear” titles, “Mortal Kombat,” “Tekken,” and “Counter Strike.” Even his producer tag — the signature “You Think You Know Me” — is sampled from WWE superstar Edge’s theme song. Lyrical references to various TV shows like “Dragon Ball” also serve the same purpose, helping connect his politics and production to his audience.

JPEGMAFIA’s music offers a lot to unpack. He’s risen to stardom with a politically and stylistically complex mosaic, all while taking no prisoners within (and beyond) his industry. He’s been at the forefront of experimental hip-hop, and his lyrical content puts him in a space of his own. Some might (predictably) point to artists like Death Grips or releases like Kanye West’s Yeezus as similarly impactful, but JPEGMAFIA bridges the accessibility and artistic focus that each of those respectively lack. No artist holds a mirror to the current political climate as well as JPEGMAFIA, and it’s clear he’s not finished yet. Since his release of All My Heroes Are Cornballs, Peggy has shown no signs of slowing down, filling this last year with a stream of eight singles including “BALD!” and “BODYGUARD!” Each new track features a new experimental wrinkle as he continues to push production boundaries. Coupled with his consistently bold and unapologetic lyricism, it’s apparent that JPEGMAFIA is here to make off-the-walls beats, chew bubblegum, and radicalize liberals — and he’s been out of bubblegum for years.

Afterglow ATXSeptember 10, 2020