JPEGMafia

Experimental hip-hopper Jpegmafia is a trained journalist and former soldier who served in Iraq, Kuwait, North Africa and Japan, but he was most influenced by Baltimore, where he worked for a short time. After he moved there, a 25-year-old African-American, Freddie Gray, died here as a result of his injuries during a brutal arrest. He responded to the events with the mixtape Darkskin Manson, which he followed up with the debut Black Ben Carson. He definitely made his mark with the autobiographical album Veteran, which was also praised by people like Rick Rubin and James Blake. The album made it to Pitchfork's selection of the best albums of the decade as well as the best records of the year according to Spin, NME and The 405. His latest record All My Heroes Are Cornballs is even more personal. According to NME, he alternates between masks and jumps from one genre to another, making him a fantastic artist for today. In addition to NME, he was also included in the end-of-year selections of Loud and Quiet, Paste and PopMatters.