jev. is a 24-year-old underground MC from Ontario, Canada, who first made his mark in early 2021 by dropping his debut single “Jays”. The following winter saw the release of the debut EP The Color Grey. & finally the sequel LONERWRLD came last fall. He just delivered a couplet of singles a month ago and I didn't know they were a couple in preparation for jev's debut full length studio album.
“Alice” kicks off the LP with a soulful boom bap cut so the Congolese-Canadian up-and-comer can vow to show the weaknesses of anyone trying to shoot him, while “The Art of War.” with Darion Harris going the trap route with multiple changes at one point, sampling the iconic bell that signifies WWE's biggest superstar ever The Undertaker continuing to drop hard-hitting lyricism. “Villains' Theme” continues from there in the form of a hideous ode to those on the streets before the interlude “FEEL$”.
Meanwhile in “Famous.”, we have jev. heading into a symphonic trap arrangement, speaking instrumentally about a woman who tells him she wants fame just before “Save a Spot for Me.” again. “Wings in the sky”. it has this deep gospel twist throughout it becoming more personally topical, but after “Wipe My Tears.” with August Charles propels the jazzier 2nd leg providing optimism amid heartbreak.
“Call me back.” featuring Raemi goes drumless for a hip hop/R&B crossover that tackles the relevant issue of his partner not hitting you back on “The Killer Shewolf.” he sprinkles the pianos, kicks and traps back into the picture culminating in an exploding performance. After the break of “Man on Fire”, the penultimate song “Wonderland”. with Aero Austaire combines a rap rock track inspired by My Beautiful Dark Twisted FantasyKanye era with a heavily melodic 2nd half & “The Samurai's Monologue”. ends up when angels cry cooking up a playful trap putting the fear of God in people.
Few summed up jev's style. as a modern take on old-school hip-hop that combines the ethos of sample-based classics like Wu-Tang Clan & Nas with the earlier prowess of new-schoolers like Kendrick Lamar and Saba or Smino, who I can definitely hear in all of the Ontarian's debut. He balances east coast, boom boom, trap, jazz rap, pop rap and sometimes R&B further breaking down his tectonic flows, pushing him as a mainstream underground artist.
Rating: 8/10