In fact, there isn’t a moment where he misses a beat or gets out-rapped by Jay-Z. Electronica paints a vivid picture to complement his career’s resurrection. The album is condensed and extremely topical for Jay Electronica, his laser focus bleeding through this record on first listen. It’s reminiscent of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, where rather than a total eclipse happening, the two found a balance in between their orbits. In some cases, when performing alongside such a polarizing and legendary figure as Jay-Z, one can risk being overshadowed, yet on “A Written Testimony,” Jay-Z and Jay Electronica complement each other and raise the bar for each other extensively. His ability to skate through these extremely layered topics in a matter of punchlines is what separates Jay Electronica from the average MC.įurthermore, his capacity to keep up with Jay-Z, whose skills have aged like wine, adds to his extensive resumé. It covers topics as wide-ranging as his influences, from his relationship with the Nation of Islam to filling in the blanks of his absence from the rap game. ![]() The album is a multi-faceted look into the complicated life of Jay Electronica. He even had one last surprise to end the drought his fans experienced at the hands of his radio silence the album was a collaboration record with hip-hop messiah Jay-Z. But somehow, even after years of missed opportunities and false starts, Jay Electronica rose to the occasion as effortlessly as his skills on the mic. This was a rare case where a rapper’s ability was as notable as the album’s expectations it was just up to Jay Electronica to deliver. This was finally the opportunity his legacy had been beckoning for. Electronica had long been hip-hop’s best-kept secret, lending his talents for a few key features for Chance the Rapper and Mac Miller, as well as releasing a handful of tracks in between his projects, but nothing of the magnitude that his skills warrant. The expectations set forth for this album were unprecedented, mainly because of the talent that Electronica had been harnessing since his career’s inception and because of the 13-year wait his fans had experienced for this album. In the middle of recent history’s biggest test of adversity, the coronavirus pandemic, Jay Electronica somehow stunned the world by finally dropping his album, “A Written Testimony.” ![]() Dre’s “Detox” or Isaiah Rashad’s follow-up to “The Sun’s Tirade.” It almost felt like the rapture would have to come before Jay Electronica released an album, and ironically enough, that is almost exactly what happened. It seemed like Jay Electronica’s debut album had been locked away with hip-hop’s other unheard gems, such as Dr. Electronica would promise annually that his project, then titled “Act II,” would arrive, but at the end of every year his fans were unsurprisingly disappointed. This cult following for Electronica only grew over the years, which he maintained through guest verses, hit singles such as “Exhibit C” and constant curiosity from fans about where his full-length debut project was. Though Electronica’s style is much closer to that of KRS-One than Gucci Mane, he found instant success off the project and began gaining interest from fans. In 2007, he released “Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge),” a 15-minute project over instrumentals from Jon Brion’s score of the cult classic film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Before the age of instant interconnectivity and DJ Akademiks’ Instagram page, the best way to gain instant exposure was through a well-crafted Datpiff mixtape. Born with unfiltered talent, Electronica’s career had everything a fruitful rap existence needed, except one thing: music.Įlectronica’s career started as many others did in the earlier part of the 21st century: through a mixtape. Jay Electronica was supposed to be hip-hop’s savior, but instead, he became its greatest mystery.
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