Rating: ***1/2
Must Listen: Cocky, Wanna Be My Freak ft. WhiteKeys, I'm SO Ole' School
Skip: Jersey Strong
JOMO is a rapper out of Atlantic City, NJ. He’s got a few albums out already including an EP called “What I Want” that just dropped in May. His first single off of said EP is the title track and it was recently featured in the video-on-demand flick “Battle Scars.” All of that sounds awesome, but is the music any good? Let’s find out.
Listen to "What I Want" below:
The lead track is the aforementioned single, What I Want. It has a 2pac vibe to it. The beats are basic, but effective and JOMO has bars for sure. The chorus has been stuck in my head so it’s clearly catchy. It’s not gonna change the world of rap, but it’s a nice tune. Jersey Strong is next and it’s pretty sonically stressful. There’s a lot going on and I can’t really tell what any of it is. It’s hypnotic but not in a good way. It kind of sounds like a panic attack unfolding in real-time. Next. Track 3 is called Cocky and it’s much better than Track 2. Confidently rapped with a much better focus musically. LaLa lacks the melody of Cocky, but is just as effective due to it’s aggressiveness. Two solid tracks in a row. Let’s get to number 5. Clap sounds like Pac on Xanax. The flow is good, but JOMO sounds kinda bored, especially considering the violent nature of the cut. Wanna Be My Freak ft. WhiteKeys is a fun one. It reminds me of when 50 Cent still made catchy tracks. The highlight of this portion of the record for me. The penultimate track is I’m SO Ole’ School. This is JOMO at his very best. Catchy and clever rhyming combined with the best beat on the entire album. We end at 25 to Life and it’s worth the wait. I love when a rap song is socially conscious but is still commercial enough to stick in your head. This one hits that note perfectly.
Watch the music video for “25 to Life” below:
Bottom line: This is well worth a listen. JOMO can rap and it’s musically solid for the most part. He takes a lot of the greatest rappers ever and combines them into his own unique sound. Aside from Jersey Strong (which really missed the mark for me), this one is consistently good throughout and I strongly recommend it.
Produced by: William "WhiteKeys" Harding (What I Want), Jomo K. Lyles-Belton