Thursday, November 21, 2013

Jonwayne-Rap Album One


I'm a rapper and producer who refuses to give up either one

        There wasn't really anything new in music today that I was interested in posting about (besides Busta's incredible announcement) so I thought I'd post about a promising artist people need to know about. Jonwayne dropped one of the most slept on albums of the year in October, Rap Album One. Jonwayne first came into the music industry when he released Bowser, an instrumental album. Then he he began to rap, got signed by Stone Throw Records, and released his 3 Cassette mixtapes.
        Believe it or not, his name isn't based on the actor John Wayne, but actually Jonwayne's ancestor, a player in the Revolutionary War, who was the inspiration for the actor John Wayne's screen name. The MC, as he has written on his Facebook page, is a rapper and producer and has great pride in both, as well he should. When he raps, he doesn't really change up his flow very often, but his voice has a great rhythm and his lyrics work really well with the production of the songs, keeping the songs simple yet fresh. However, the real talent of Jonwayne is his producing. If I had to compare him to anyone, I would probably say El-P, but not necessarily because of sound but because of the groundbreaking beats. Jonwayne is part of the new age era of beats, or the Flying Lotus era. The beats are psychedelic, yet soothing and they constantly demand your attention. Whether it be the eerie piano in "You Can Love Me When I'm Dead", the upbeat keyboard in "Find Me In The Future", or the awesome cut in "The Come Up Pt. 2", Rap Album One always stays fresh and exciting and leaves you begging for more.
        There is something else to be said about Jonwayne's skills as a producer, though. He's too skilled a producer for his own good. These beats, they truly are something new that could change the game but Jonwayne seems reluctant to share them. While his rap skills are far from bad, he can't compare to rappers with dynamic flows like Chance, Kendrick, or Drake. If Jonwayne could reach out to more skilled rappers, we could see some of the freshest hip-hop of the decade.

Best Songs: "The Come Up Pt. 1", "The Come Up Pt. 2", "Find Me In The Future", "You Can Love Me When I'm Dead"

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