After releasing his debut mixtape in 2007, Jay Electronica made hip-hop fans wait more than a decade for his first album, with only a single every few years to fill the drought.
Released on Friday, “A Written Testimony” proves that Electronica honed his craft enough during those
13 years to make him a modern hip-hop icon.
Timothy Elpadaro Thedford drew underground hip-hop’s attention during the late 2000s with his first mixtape as Jay Electronica, “Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge),” a 15-minute track featuring him rapping over Jon Brion’s somber score for the film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
After earning a reputation with his pretentious and theatrical aesthetic, Electronica proved he was more than a flash-in-the-pan visionary with the 2009 singles “Exhibit A” and “Exhibit C,” two straightforward hip-hop bangers that gave fans reason to expect an incredible debut album soon after.
Although it took Electronica until 2020 to fulfill those expectations, the 10 songs and 39 minutes of “A Written Testimony” are even better than expected, partially thanks to some prominent features from rap veteran Jay-Z.
The beats Electronica produces add plenty of nostalgic character, like on “Ghost of Soulja Slim,” which delivers a gritty blend of double-bass, warm chimes, distorted guitars and busy rhythms.
Jay-Z and Electronica both spit confident and aggressive verses, with Jay-Z threatening to “Drop you off in a rival hood” and Electronica comparing himself to the Marvel hero, Black Panther. Clever bars and effortless wordplay establish their dominance as hip-hop titans by the time the electric guitar solo at the track’s close fades away.
Electronica’s production on “Flux Capacitor,” featuring chopped sirens, chaotic vocal samples, heavy 808 bass and crisp drums, acts as a perfect foundation for Jay-Z to do what he does best: brag in style.
Jay-Z delivers an onslaught of confident bars and a relaxed, catchy hook before Electronica’s production steals the show at the end, with a sudden switch into deconstructed trap, aggressively chopping up soul samples over tight drums and growling bass.
Even though Jay Electronica’s beats stand out more than his verses at points, on most of “A Written Testimony,” he matches or overcomes Jay-Z’s superstar presence with some intricate, clever and personal verses.
Over the gorgeous psychedelic guitars, delicate background vocals, warm chimes and vinyl crackle of “The Neverending Story,” Jay Electronica delivers a delightfully original mix of clever punchlines and flawless wordplay, from shouting out producer The Alchemist for putting “icing on the soliloquy” and threatening that if other rappers want beef, “I’ll filet mignon ya.”
Jay Electronica’s charismatic and confident lyrics over luxurious production makes “The Neverending Story” feel like an instant classic, just like on the penultimate track, “Ezekiel’s Wheel.”
Over a dreamy blend of electric guitar samples and clunky drums, Jay-Z only contributes to the bridge and leaves both verses to Electronica, who delivers lyrics that equally channel his veteran skills and his almost childlike, infectious love for music.
Jay Electronica touches on his absence from the music industry by explaining that “familiarity don’t breed gratitude, just contempt,” and chuckles as he calls featuring Jay-Z on his debut album “highway robbery.”
Throughout “A Written Testimony,” Electronica talks about more than just classic hip-hop themes of confidence and success, touching on his faith by referencing a blended spiritualism in almost every verse.
At times, Electronica’s message can seem scatterbrained, jumping between references to the Bible and the Quran and even rhyming lines from The Lord’s Prayer in Spanish with references to Marvel films.
Despite the sometimes irreverent and inconsistent religious references throughout “A Written Testimony,” at his most personal moments, Jay Electronica delivers crushingly honest and emotional poetry that can touch your heart, regardless of your personal religious background.
On the tear-jerking closing track “A.P.I.D.T.A.,” Electronica meditates on losing loved ones, with Jay-Z talking about “numbers on my phone that’ll never ring again” on the chorus in a heartbroken mumble.
Over a subtle blend of psychedelic guitars and spacey drums, Electronica raps about the deaths of his mother and grandmother, talking about reading his mother’s old text messages “when I get low and need a refill.”
With only his debut album, Jay Electronica establishes himself as one of modern hip-hop’s most intelligent and emotionally powerful voices, without getting outshined by one of rap’s most
respected veterans.
