Jay Electronica - Exhibit A (Transformations)

"But I'm not a rapper". Seriously, I have so little content out, I can barely even be called a rapper.

It's time to give up. Act II: Patents of Nobility is the new Detox. It will never come out. Actually, Detox could still actually come out. Actually, Detox already has a single with a fully produced video and Dr. Dre will comment on its coming-alongs every few full moons, or when he signs his latest dope artist that ghostwrites all his verses and then allows him to put his name on a co-production credit when he possibly MIGHT have, probably could have just co-mixed that shit.

"Ok, I don't think you understand dot. There's only 3 references to Beats by Dre in this here verse, and I need at least 7. Got it?

It's probably too ridiculous or too white and yuppie to say that Jay Electronica is the David Foster Wallace of rap, but that's what I'm here for. Every time this nigga does release a track, he's gotta wait at least 3 protonic millennia that sequence with the perfect orbit of the moons of Junipus X23. But when Jay Electronikhaniwassalumattawa does release a track, oh is it ever glorious.

Lest we forget the work of our forefathers, AKA Jay Elec himself in late 2008 (Jay Elec lives in all dimensions at all times of space and is his own forefather while still existing in his present state). Remember when he dropped his first major track, Exhibit A? That stick to ya ribs, mean lyrical miracle shit? Remember?

Me neither. Wow that was a long time ago. Granted, Elpadaro F. Electronica has had a couple of mixtapes and EP's before, but this was truly his arrival party. With co-signs from heavyweights like Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Nas to the producer of the track, the legendary Just Blaze, Jay was living up to the titles that idiots were giving him, like the "2nd coming of hip-hop" or "the savior of rap". But the stupidity of those comments in general is for another time. Wait, where was I? Oh yeah. Sorry, just had a Jay Electronica moment and totally forgot everything I was doing.

Back to the track. Just Blaze laces this record with a mean beat. It's tuff but it's elegant. It's proclaims the coming of a new king, but he is a fair and equal ruler.  The darkened synth and the lightness of the keyboard, which is chopped in at the most beautifully opportune times, complement the simple but infectious bass line and the tapering hi-hat. Add some cool vocal effects, and Jay Electronica's commanding voice of the veteran he never was, shines like none other. Then comes the spitting... It speaks for itself really. Pitchfork described it as "unforced lyrical dexterity" and if Pitchfork said it, then it has to be right. But seriously, I imagine Jay Elec calmly stepping into the booth as that beat comes on and just fucking killing the thing in one take in the vain of a seasoned Nas or Jay-Z on their best day, and then calmly stepping out like it was nothing. The Just Blaze piano chords play him off and the room is stunned, as if nothing would ever be the same.

Its the most poetical, Nat King unforgettable
Clarence 13X, Allah's rhapsody from Bellevue
I'm splitting atoms , spitting flames
Bringing change, things will never be the same

Me, when I'm praying for a new Jay Electronica track to drop.

Perhaps I'm being too hard on Jay ElectronicHannuKabulRassaTaluStraightthroughyourmonitor. He has dropped Exhibit B, where Mos Def Yasiin Bey hopped on for a verse, and of course the equally awesome Exhibit C. Not to mention that he's signed to Roc Nation now and put out the track Shiny Suit Theory which features Jay-Z spitting one of his best verses fucking ever. (My white friends love it when I read them that verse acapella, they think a white person wrote it and I'm a very deep when I read it). But when is this nigga gonna stop going on drunken Twitter rants and put out some real fucking music? It doesn't even have to be that good, it just has to be something we can eat. A starving dog doesn't complain when its given sub-par food, he simply eats it contently.

Maybe Jay ElecktraFatherofErykahBadu'sChildMassahlahtaNeverdropafuckingtrackallah is just teaching us a lesson about patience and virtue under the guise of not releasing music at the rate of a normal musician who wants to be successful?

Here, the Jay Electronica sits in his natural habitat, not writing or recording any music. Truly a wonder of nature.

Or maybe this nigga is just lazy as fuck. Whatever. When Jay elects (seewutIdidthere?) to stop meditating to Christopher Cross and praying to the heathen son of demi-god Vishnu PopAMolly, maybe he'll finally drop a track... nye, an entire album, and he can bring his brilliant lyricism and wonderful beats to the world of post-apocalyptic society. Which is probably when his album will drop anyway.