The Midweekly is our column from Mike Jeffers; lead singer of Chicago punk stalwarts SCRAM, music junkie and all around righteous dude.
In the rap game Junglepussy has never been afraid to push boundaries beyond the conventional. This Brooklyn queen keeps doing exactly that with JP5000, her latest EP. Even though it’s split into five tracks, it feels more like one, long composition. Each beat segues into the next seamlessly, and though these tracks are linked like a continuous thread, the music itself staggers and stutters with odd rhythm. You might be surprised to know four different producers helped accomplish the sound on this 11 minute record. JP keeps the vocals low in tone, somewhat subdued, though the dominance of her lyrics still remain. Verses about confidence in the face of criticism, an industry and culture that pits artists against other through jealousy, and the solidarity to fight back. A couple of times she dips into the realm of relationships. First, reminiscing on foolish youth and heartbreak, then back to the present and a blossoming new love. With no choruses it feels more like a stream of consciousness, although no line is frivolous, everything is poignant. Let’s just leave it in her own words: “I’m on top of the mountain, meditating topless, I transcend.”