Andrew Veeder on September 6th, 2013

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After a series of cassette-only releases, the third of which being “Cassette 3: The Marion Morrison Mixtape,” producer/rapper Jonwayne is set to release his debut LP, appropriately titled “Rap Album One,” on Oct. 29 on Stones Throw. Its first single is “Reflection,” an unconventional and genre-jumping track. Beginning with sparse piano, then adding driving drums, the track morphs into an organ interlude, ambient string embellishments, spaced-out sound effects and woozy piano-driven jazz-hop that swells before winding to a close. The lyrical structure is also avant-garde, starting with two choruses sung stony and modulated, before launching into a witty quick-fire verse beginning with, “There ain’t nobody flyer than me / I say a couple words and you can hear the birds sink in the trees,” then finishing with three four-bar near-a capella codas sandwiched between instrumental bursts. His flow is reminiscent of Jay Electronica, in its rapid, monotone, and eccentric style ”“ “I’m supposed to tell you that I get laid every day / And stay undefeated, but since I was a fetus / Working minimum wages / That mind frame got this place rhyming in cages / Living half life, radiation stuck to the pages,” he rhymes in the addendum. Aside from one guest vocal and pair of tracks produced by Scoop DeVille, the entirety of the forthcoming 11-song “Rap Album One” is Jonwayne. And in keeping with his sense of humor, its cover art is an image of a cracker.

Stream: “Reflection”