A Written Testimony - Jay Electronica: Review
is a New Orleans based rapper and producer who became one of the first in the rap game to truly blow up just based off of independently released internet singles towards the end of the 2000's. After a decade of loosey singles here and there features and rumors of an oncoming album his debut record is finally here. The album was announced shortly before its release and had very little promotion, which is why many were so surprised to see that this record features just as much Jay-Z as it does Jay Electronica.
Review By Lavender:
I am in the boat with many other people who have been anticipating this debut record for a long time. It feels like Jay Electronica just let hype build and build for a decade to the point where when his debut finally arrived it would be impossible to live up to the hype. So for the record to come in at under 40 minutes and basically be a collaboration album with Jay-Z there is certainly reason for some long suffering fans to be a little disappointed. But after hearing A Written Testimony I would argue that the disappointment can be pretty easily supplemented given how solid of an album this is.
This record is only ten tracks and the first one is a spoken word intro, but unlike many of its kind this records opener perfectly encapsulates everything the album is about. The Overwhelming Event is a clip of a speech from Louis Farrakhan himself that is backed by a beautiful, dramatic and tension building instrumental that basically explains what the record is here to do. Jay Electronica and Jay-Z stand up to deliver some lyrically dense bars about love, family and most importantly faith over a series of spectacular lo-fi instrumentals from a who's who of legendary rap producers.
It all gets kicked off with Ghost Of Soulja Slim which features one of the records best beats right off the bat that sports a combination of keys and percussion that is absolutely infectious. Jay-Z kicks the track off with some fiery bars and like most of the verses on this album they are strongly tied to the Nation Of Islam, however controversial it may be. Aside from one moment of iffy singing Jay electronica comes in and holds his own on the song with another strong verse to round out a pretty complete first full song. The slick bars continue on the next track The Blinding which features production from Swizz Beats and Hit-Boy, the two pull a punchy beat together just in time for both Jay's to hit the ground running on a killer opening verse. Travis Scott features on the hook and while I quite enjoy his performance it is really short and feels like more of a brief sample than a genuine feature or hook but I like the song nonetheless.
Shiny Suit Theory sports another fucking killer beat this time from Jay Electronica himself and the whole song sounds gorgeously like its being performed live in a dark cabaret in 1965. Jay-E's hook is on the slower side but impressively wordy while still remaining catchy. Jay-Z's vocals are very lo-fi and while it seems like a clear lyrical choice I'm not sure I agree with it because his verse is great but I do wish I could hear it more and it matched the pseudo-live sound of the rest of the song. Finally The-Dream handles the bridge on the track and it is beautiful and totally fooled me into thinking it was some obscure old sample the first time around. Flux Capacitor is another song that relies on some catchy bars and a bumping beat. Jay-Z's hook isn't perfect but it is pretty much the only down moment of the track. Jay-Z absolutely murders his opening verse and its one of my favorite things I've heard all year as he clearly hasn't missed a beat since his heyday. Electronica also has a killer performance on the track making good on some strong lyrics but mainly delivering catchy hard-hitting bars.
While the record has many moments of up-beat catchy performing there are equally as captivating moments in the lowkey and lyrically strong tracks, starting with The NeverEnding Story. The Alchemist beat on this song is a dreamy classic and Jay Electronica knocks it out of the park lyrically as he brings smart wordplay to this clearly significant thematic track. This is followed by a slick ass beat switch-up and while the Jay-Z verse that follows isn't my favorite on the while record he definitely holds his own and focuses more on some emotional lyrics and slick wordplay. Fruits Of The Spirit is the albums shortest track even shorter than the intro and sports a killer No I.D beat. The song is basically just one Jay Electronica verse and it is really nice to see him shine on a track on his own, as he absolutely knocks this one down. The closing track A.P.I.D.T.A has one of the best of the slower choruses as Jay-Z handles it really well and it fits perfectly with the distant instrumental. Electronica delivers a genuinely heartfelt performance that accredits everything that has gone right for him to god through the good times and bad. Despite it being a lowkey closing moment it thematically wraps up the albums themes really well and I love seeing it right at the end.
The record isn't perfect, however even its weaker moments have something to love. Universal Soldier has some production that is a lot larger than the rest of the tracks here and it gets really old by the end of the song. I also thing Jay-Z absolutely handles Electra on the track which isn't good to have on your own record especially when you have a shorter verse and just manage to say more with less. According to Genius the songs outro is done by Travis Scott and James Blake which I totally believe because it's absolutely beautiful. Finally Ezekiel's Wheel has the weakest chorus on the record which just moves at a snails pace and never picks up any momentum, I think the refrain that The-Dream sings on the track would make a much better hook. The song is just too long and filled with boring passages given that the only real highlights of its nearly seven minute runtuime are the two Jay Electronica verses.
A Written Testimony isn't what many of us were expecting but the record is a treat nonetheless. Filled with excellent beats, wordplay and performances it's the first truly great hip hop record of the year. Even though I would like to see Electronica go on a true solo venture at some point he holds his own on this albums against one of the greatest of all time. And speaking of which Jay-Z brings it once again to this record continuing a streak of good performances over the past few years. A Written Testimony is a modern classic that the old heads will likely eat up that sees two great artists refusing to be anything but themselves. 8/10
