Music: L’Orange & Jeremiah Jae – Complicate Your Life With Violence

Chicago rapper Jeremiah Jae and North Carolina producer L’Orange come through with an excellent collaborative album titled Complicate Your Life With Violence. Jeremiah Jae is known for a dark and self-reflective music such as on his incredible 2018 album DAFFI, while L’Orange’s production can be described as colourful and incredibly soulful. Their 2015 collaborative album The Night Took Us in Like Family introduced us to the duo, who created smooth and laid back hip-hop. This new project however takes a much darker turn, with more visceral and hard-hitting production as well as more animated lyricism and rapping throughout.

This is a concept album about a man at war coming to terms with what it’s like on the battlefield, as well as his changing perception of his own identity. After the intro “Part One: Introducing An Inconspicuous Man,” the album really kicks off with “Behaviour Report,” with looped samples anda thumping beat that gives Jeremiah Jae the opportunity to rhyme effortlessly about a soldier’s experience at war, assessing his behaviour and state of mind in an animated and detailed manner. The darker vibe of “Say It All” is perfect for the dark and thematic topic of war. “Borrowed Brass” featuring Zeroh and lojii is one of my favourites off the album, with a chopped beat with a driving beat and eerie synths that bring a the track to life, with the three emcees giving their own unique perspectives on peace and war. Other highlights to me include “Devil’s Piano,” “After Alley Life” and “Ghost Town.” The soulful nature of the tracks are fantastic, and there’s something about the beats on these tracks that I find brilliant. Overall, L’Orange and Jeremiah Jae come through with an excellent collaborative concept album, sounding soulful and introspective, tackling interesting themes in a cohesive and fascinating manner. Big ups!

Listen to L’Orange & Jeremiah Jae’s new album Complicate Your Life With Violence below via Bandcamp and don’t forget to support!