Jay Cue Pyramid Life (2011, NRK)
New mixtape from Nobody Really Knows crew member Jay Cue. NRK also includes Odd Future-affiliated artists The Jet Age Of Tomorrow, and left-field rap torch-bearer Pyramid Vritra.
Much like the sounds of Jet Age and Pyramid Vritra, Jay Cue’s Pyramid Life is experimental rap by the current standards, but has decidedly R&B-leanings. Luckily Jay Cue has enough pure talent to pull off a melding of styles across 11 unconventional songs — rapping, producing and singing his way to a record that sounds like N.E.R.D. made a Lootpack record.
Cue’s lyrical ability, best displayed on tracks like “Lunchbox” f/ Vince Staples, “NRK Party,” & “Sore Loser,” are part-Curren$y mellowness, part Earl Sweatshirt lazy precision, but occasionally display a sharp edge like Tyler, The Creator.
Don’t let the OF references throw things off, though, because this isn’t subversive anarcho-rap. In fact, the people that are riding so hard for Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra need to check this. It’s personal, but less cringe-worthy.
-SM
(via Originality Kills)
