Anyone saying rap is dead or in a ‘terrible place‘ is straight the fuck up lying to themselves or not even trying to find interesting shit they like. Any given day, with enough effort, I can find something to really dive into and love even if it’s just for a particular element. Some music is carried by production, others by atmosphere or lyrics – the best music though? Evenly distributed. And hey, technically I didn’t have to find this album, it came to me via a recommendation from my pal Jake.
I wasn’t familiar with Nacho Picasso (real name Jesse Robinson, hence the title) or his game until Jesse’s Revenge, same with TELEVANGEL (half of production duo Blue Sky Black Death), the producer for the album. Together they formulate an entertaining-ass album with dark, wavy production and irreverent, nerdy bars, many of which made me laugh. That’s really all it takes, y’all, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this album only sates low bars. I can imagine this type of hip-hop resonating with many people who like slightly off-kilter rap delivered with gusto and a unique voice – fans of the Bruiser Wolf album from earlier this year need to peep this.
As special as Jesse’s Revenge sounds and feels, there’s still so many comparisons I could draw on various parts. Nacho’s rapping, at different times, sounds like billy woods or Heems depending, maybe a little Boldy James pseudo-monotone as well. TELEVANGEL‘s moody beats smack of some early Rhymesayers monoliths, or maybe something Lil B would cruise on (I’m not kidding) – hell, some of Nacho’s staggered rap patterns even remind me of the Bay Area enigma. He’s also just a dude, perhaps the most endearing part of his music.
By the second track, I knew I was gonna have a fun time. “Do It For Johnny” has a sleezy ’80s inspired beats that vibes hard, topped with bars like ‘Only thing I failed was a pee test/My last plug resembled Ryan Seacrest‘ and ‘Might hit a art student with a hadoken‘ (that’s far from the only fighting game reference too, later comparing his pockets/money to E. Honda in “Portuguese Island” and name dropping Capcom deep cut Rival Schools in “Mazzy Star”). I love “Still Ballin'” which is more upbeat and triumphant without losing the washed-out and faded feel. TELEVANGEL has a knack for aged production, just in the wine sense, sampling a variety of older things I can’t even begin to identify myself, but give the music a specific identity that I like. It matches Nacho Picasso‘s rhymes as well which bounce between emotionally dense and frivolously casual, like someone joking about a person in their life dying mere days after it happens.
“Light Skin Jason Statham” is a more bass-heavy head-nodder, fun while sticking to the sonic theme built up so far. It’s like the song that’d play during the second act of a movie where the protag is on top, winning and getting the bag. It’s got a cute reference to Redman, something I appreciate as someone who has him in my top ten DOA rappers. Dude says ‘I’m a manly man’s man – Davy Crockett/But I’m shorter than my girl – Spacely Sprocket‘ which is, as The Kid Mero would say, a washed reference, but we keep up as learned fans of the craft. Tons of other self-comparisons are lyrically drawn like on “I Am” which as a hook calling himself the ‘light skin Seal‘ or on “The Old Nacho” where he says ‘I’m the handsome Joe Budden with a butt chin‘. I see the resemblance.
Jesse’s Revenge is teeming with a variety of darknesses with Nacho keeping a hand on things so they never truly get lost in the smog of depression. Every song on this album is addled and dazed by something, where the only thing coming through clear as day is Nacho’s own vocals, like you’re in his head and able to hear your/his own voice reverberating inward. He’s a gracious host though, making us feel at home and laugh despite it all, taking us to “Portuguese Island” to flex (‘Clothes tailored like Teyana/Big titties on the gun like Gianna‘) and unleashing unbridled stream-of-conscious honesty with “I Be Mad!” (‘Speaking of Yoshi, was he even Japanese, broski?/I don’t knowski, but that’s an odd name for Mario’s homie/And what’s a Luigi?‘).
Jesse’s Revenge is just fill with little nuggets of brilliance between the vapored production from TELEVANGEL and Nacho Picasso‘s compelling rapping. The vibe is immaculate, creating a sort of neo-noir sound for weed smoking anime fans. It’s 42 minutes of top-shelf bars for the weirdo, a character exploration that feels like something Strange Scaffold would have a hand in. I could keep quoting lines for days because they stick with me that much, they’re adages for the new age. I’m telling you, just put it on and enjoy, and you may find yourself seven loops deep smoking an imaginary cigarette sitting next to Nacho in a Tijuana strip club with 200 one-dollar bills as he imagines himself in “Nacho Blues 2”. That’s what I did, no questions asked really, and now it’s one of my favorite rap albums of the year.
