I wish more artists had as much fun with their song titles as JPEGMAFIA. I also wish more artists had as much fun on their songs as JPEGMAFIA. The Veteran rapper has never shied away from the absurd - in fact, it's where he prefers to reside. He finds humor in the paradoxical balance between flexing and self-deprecation. Most bars flip back-and-forth between these poles. He'll clown his own outfit before you get the chance to (see single artwork), but threaten to shoot you regardless ("Feel like when I'm shootin, I'm shiftin time / Dressed in your grandmama hand-me-downs"). Even on the song's title, "Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot", it's seen how piecing together things that are so jarringly opposed leads to a product that is undeniably fascinating.
Peggy plays with these tensions sonically, as well. On this track, he dabbles in his usual spastic production, inserting glitchy noises over some beautiful piano chords. The song pulls you in so many directions that you don't know what exactly you're supposed to be feeling, but you know it's an exhilarating experience. His rapping starts off mellow, but halfway through the first verse, he's shouting while the beat self-destructs. The song reverts back to mellow territory for the chorus, where JPEG starts bursting out melodic lines like a damn Backstreet Boy. But he said it himself: "Bitch, I'm a diva".
Quotable Lyrics
Pray you get in comfy your disguise
Pray for my thots on the other side
Pray for my children I can't provide, I feel 45
Pray when you shoot, it's a homicide
Pray for my haters, they terrified