All My Heroes Are Cornballs

Experimental rapper JPEGMAFIA reached a new level of attention with his 2018 album Veteran, a confrontational and relentless blur of forward-thinking production with just enough commercial accessibility to keep it from alienating new listeners. Third album All My Heroes Are Cornballs continues JPEGMAFIA's electric creative streak, turning the aggression down for a somewhat muted but no less visceral collection. The self-produced album is presented in constantly shifting fragments. Album-opener "Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot" transitions from the sound of an angry crowd into a beat that joins subdued, almost sentimental synths with frantic flows, noisy samples, and even a sung chorus. JPEGMAFIA employs signature vaporwave production styles throughout the album, with splintered vocal samples and cloudy synths making up the sonic palette of "Beta Male Strategies," "PTSD," and other key moments of the 18-track collection. All My Heroes Are Cornballs manages a mellow, even reserved instrumental tone without losing any of the scathing social commentary or frenetic energy that defined earlier work. If anything, the album is more intense, hiding biting and bilious (and often surreal) lyrical threats beneath a deceptively low-energy facade. ~ Fred Thomas