Jay Electronica
A Written Testimony
Roc Nation
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Even at this point, a joke about it taking the world coming to an end for Jay Electronica to finally release his proper debut album seems hackneyed. Yet, here we sit, with global society seemingly on the brink of collapse, finally able to enjoy A Written Testimony, a 12-year overdue album from an artist who was purportedly going to alter the landscape of hip-hop music forever. And it features extensive appearances by one of the artists who helped shape hip-hop from the late ’90s into the 2010s, Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter. These are truly interesting times.
Elpadaro F. Electronica Allah a.k.a. Jay Electronica first burst on the scene in 2007 via his MySpace music page, which alone should tell you how long this album has been in the making. Not much was known about him initially, except that he was born and raised in New Orleans, moved to Atlanta, then began to reside in New York City.
Back then, Jay Electronica was apparently recording an album to be titled Act II: Patents of Nobility. It’s hard to describe the type of buzz he was building during the late ’00s. He had a smooth yet complex flow, possessed a knack for metaphors and similes, and radiated the type of energy similar to Big Daddy Kane and Rakim. He had seemingly limitless potential.
And as the ‘00s came to a close, he was riding the wave of a spectacular pair of singles, “Exhibit A” and “Exhibit C.” Both of which were produced by Just Blaze, a producer with whom he seemed to share a special chemistry. During this period, Jay Electronica seemed to be plugged into everything, ready to explode. He produced (and possibly wrote) for Nas’ Untitled (2008). He filmed a commercial for Mountain Dew. He was linked, romantically and spiritually, to Erykah Badu. After “Exhibit C” dropped in December 2009, Jay promised Act II would be released on Christmas Day. Though that day came and went with no album, the anticipation remained.
So, he soldiered on, recording music with Curren$y, Yasiin Bey, Ski Beatz, The Game, Mobb Deep, and Diddy. And there was a bidding war for his services in attempts to sign him to a major label. Considering that the record industry was still functioning back then, the market for his services was super-hot. Ultimately, Jay-Z and Roc Nation won out, and it looked like he was set to become one of the cornerstone artists of S. Carter’s multimedia endeavor.
But after signing with Roc Nation, things started to get really sticky. He would repeatedly promise, via Twitter, that the album was completed, but never actually released a project. He put out a tracklist for Act II, but no album seemed forthcoming. There were rumors that Jay-Z was holding up Act II because there wasn’t a marketable single. Every once in a while Jay Elec would drop another song through Twitter. In the meantime, he recorded collaborations with the likes of Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Mac Miller, Reflection Eternal, Paul Wall, Chance the Rapper, Rosie Lowe and Big Sean. The latter was the infamous “Control” remix, remembered best for Kendrick Lamar’s ultra-confrontational verse.
There was also the background intrigue about his personal affairs. There were rumors that he was involved with Kate Rothschild, of the billionaire banking Rothschilds. Later, Jay would admit that substance abuse had prevented Act II from dropping, but continually promised it was coming soon. And then he’d say it wasn’t. It became a running gag by hip-hop heads, looking for ways to laugh to keep from crying.
And then, in early February 2020, after years of silence, Jay Electronica tweeted the message “40 Days,” sending the hype back into overdrive. Snippets and images and tracklists (in Arabic) began to leak out. He revealed he had recorded this new album, A Written Testimony, over the period of 40 days, starting the day after Christmas, and would release it 40 days later. Then it was revealed that the album was recorded with Roc Nation honcho Jay-Z, who would be featured on nearly every song. It was unclear how much of this album was once intended to be Act II, or how much of it was written and recorded as part of an entirely new project. All that mattered is that the wait was over.
Regardless of how we got here, we are here, in a world radically different than it was in 2009. The music industry is essentially unrecognizable from what it was over a decade ago, where labels seem obsolete and most have given up on the idea of the album being “bought” in any conventional form. The idea of needing one single to build an album around is pretty much outdated. It even seems quaint to actually “build up” the release of an album. Projects have been dropping with little to no advance warning for four to five years now.
On the other hand, the time really does seem right for A Written Testimony, an album steeped in religious imagery and futurism. And Jay Electronica has a mostly captive audience, built from people sheltering in places, looking for an escape from the confusion, uncertainty, and possible impending doom.
And the result, honestly, is pretty damn good. Jay Electronica’s rhyming abilities haven’t faltered during his down time. And Jay-Z, a veteran at creating these type of team-up albums (with R. Kelly, Kanye West, and Beyoncé), holds up his end of things as well. Whether he’s dropping a verse and just providing a chorus, he adds just enough to about every song that he appears on. The album’s production is mostly handled by Jay Electronica himself, but also includes contributions by some of the best beat-makers working today (but no Just Blaze).
The album starts strong with “Ghost of Soulja Slim,” evoking the name and imagery of the slain New Orleans emcee who achieved regional and national success during the late ’90s and early ’00s. Jigga and Jay Elec each drop a potent verse, warning rival emcees and peers that they’re here to dominate. Jay Electronica’s verse is full of references to the Islamic faith and the Nation of Islam, of which he is a member. “If it come from me and Hov, consider it Qur’an,” he raps. “If it come from any of those, consider it Harām / The minaret that Jigga built me on the Dome of the Roc / Was crafted, so beautifully, consider this Adhan.”
“The Blinding” is an early highlight, featuring a constantly shifting musical backdrop (produced by Swizz Beatz, AraabMUZIK, and Hit-Boy) alongside tag-team rhymes by Jay Elec and Jigga and a chorus by Travis Scott. “The Neverending Story” is the album’s peak, a track produced by The Alchemist (currently the best in the business) featuring Jay Electronica’s best verse on the album. Over a surrealistic and drumless Alchemist track, filled with psychedelic guitars and delicate pianos, Jay Elec details his fight against the unjust. “Spread love like Kermit the Frog that permeate the fog,” he explains. “I'm at war like the Dukes of Hazard against the Bosses of the Hogs.”
“Shiny Suit Theory” was actually first released a decade ago, shortly after Jay Elec signed to Roc Nation. As a pledge to resist the corrupting influence of commercialism, it fits in well on A Written Testimony. “Flux Capacitor” is a hectic, high energy blitz featuring Jay-Z’s best performance on the album. The Roc Nation CEO expounds on the good he works to accomplish with his wealth, elaborating on his controversial partnership with the NFL. He warns non-believers that he’s still be as fierce as ever, rapping, “You backstabbers gon’ turn me back to the old Jay / He’s not who you wanna see, he’s not as sweet as the old Ye.”
The last third of A Written Testimony is dominated by Jay Electronica, with Jay-Z taking a background role. The No I.D.-produced “Fruits of the Spirit” is a minute-and-a-half Jay Elec solo cut, featuring him “snap[ping] on the track fingers of Thanos,” weaving in biblical references and chronicling the troubling times that we’re living in. “My people out in Flint still bathing in the slaughter,” he raps. “ICE out here ripping families apart at the border.”
Jay gets really expansive on “Ezekiel’s Wheel,” a nearly seven-minute self-produced epic, featuring him rhyming over slow chimes and keyboard grooves. The track is the album’s most spacey entry, with Jay journeying throughout the cosmos, but returning to Earth to reference The Alchemist and proclaim his everlasting fandom to Michael Jackson. He describes himself as a Holy Jedi, rapping, “Jay Cirque du Soleilica / I started on Tatooine but now I'm way out in Dagobah / Mastered the force, made my saber, I'm in the light now / It's the hour of chaos, the black steel is on me right now.”
The album ends with the melancholy “A.P.I.D.T.A.” (as in “All Praises is Due To Allah”), a wistful dedication to deceased friends reportedly recorded soon after the death of Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter. Jay Electronica reflects on departed friends and family, mourning their loss and seeking spiritual solace from a higher power. Jay-Z’s chorus is especially eloquent, as he reflects on “texts on my phone that'll never ping again. I screenshot ’em so I got ’em, I don’t want this thing to end.”
A Written Testimony isn’t the transformative Jay Electronica album that so many hip-hop heads had been dreaming about for over decade, but it’s questionable if he was going to be able to provide one under any circumstances. In pop culture, we’re too jaded and have much too short of attention spans. I don’t know if Jay Electronica could have released an album that changed how hip-hop was made even if he had wanted to.
So, we’re all going to have to “settle” for a damn good album with fiyah lyrics by both Jay Elec and Jigga, as well as interesting production. It’s one of the better albums of the young year, and at least establishes that 1) Jay Electronica is still an interesting artist with something to say and 2) Jay-Z can still hang with some of the most talented cats out there.
A Written Testimony still makes me want to hear more of what Jay Electronica has to offer. I hope we don’t have to wait another decade or complete societal collapse for us to get another album.
Notable Tracks: “The Blinding” | “Fruits Of The Spirit” | “Ghost of Soulja Slim” | “The Neverending Story”
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