Jansport J "The 2 AM Tape"


The world of instrumental Hip Hop is vast and intriguing. Never do you really know what to expect from a beat tape. Sometimes it’s an emcees album stripped of the vocals, sometimes it’s a collection of beats composed from one source and sometimes it’s just a dope collection of music put out by a beat maker trying to be heard.

Jansport Js latest offering, The 2 AM Tape, would fall into that last category – but he added a slight twist:
“This project is an instrumental concept album revolving around all of the common characters, events, and thoughts that take place in the middle of the night...2 AM. The album provides a soundtrack to these events, and takes the listener through a journey through the goings on of 2 AM.”
Concept albums aren’t exactly common within Hip Hop. Sure you have the classics like anything Prince Paul lays down and Nas did a decent job last year (although giving up on the name hurts the overall theme) but by and large rappers seem more interested in just spitting rhymes. Jansport J doesn’t rhyme here but he does chop up some excellent samples and lay down some smooth and soulful bangers for you and I to enjoy, perhaps while up in the middle of the night.

Running with the late night theme the tape is a journey in sound from beginning to end – and you will want to let it ride front to back. Demonstrating a sufficient knowledge of sampling and beat composition many of Jansport’s offerings here will get you nodding along steadily wondering where he is going to take you next.

“The Sex” sees him flipping a great trumpet sound and layering in some sounds of pleasure for a fun song that might just get you and a friend in the mood. “The Munchies” follows and while it may seem like an abrupt theme change, its driving guitar lick and clever vocal sample (“and the trees are green”) will keep you entertained.

“The Anxiety” features some drums that could hit harder but the spooky sound effects (I don’t have a clue what he is sampling here) and synth work is perfect for that late night paranoia we can all suffer from. J also pulls in a number of vocal snippets from any number of places (TV, film, etc) that add to the ambience he is looking to deliver.

He loops up the Beatles for the excellent “The Break Up” and adds some great dusty drums underneath – again they may not thump like some would prefer, but I doubt anyone would complain as this track screams of a forgotten era of beat makers.

With The 2 AM Tape we are transported into Jansport Js late night world and on many occasions it’s probably not to far from the actions many a person has partaken in over the course of an evening. J proves he has the chops to make a hot beat but at the same time carry a project on his own – it’s not the second coming of Shadow, but he shows promise and I guarantee if you enjoy instrumental music this will get a replay or two from you. Maybe even in the middle of the night.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa "How Fly" Review

Image
Two of Hip Hop’s best kept secrets found each other, seemingly through a thick haze of weed smoke – stoners do tend to unite. While Curren$y did enjoy a brief moment of semi fame rolling with Lil' Wayne, he left for potentially greener pastures (addressed splendidly on “S.D.L”) and has been steadily on his grind with the Fly Society behind him. Wiz Khalifa on the other hand has been making a name for himself on both the blog scene and the tour circuit, although he hasn’t made it out to the North West yet. His hustle never did seem appreciated by Warner Brothers who saw a star years ago when they signed him, but sit on the shelf he did until finally gaining his freedom just over 2 weeks ago. Independent is the way to roll and these two obviously share more in common than a fetish for the greenery, fresh kicks, and designer labels. The album gives you much of what you would expect and some of what you might not have. The beats are rocking almost all the way through, some however le
Read more

An Interview With... Carlos Niño

Image
My sonic journey has taken me through many sounds, styles, artists, and scenes. Preparing for this interview was cause to reflect on when I first heard the name Carlos Niño , and I think I can pinpoint it near the beginning of the LA beat era . Since that time his name has floated in and out of my ears depending on how tuned in I was. In more recent times his name has been near the top of my most listened to and cherished artists. These connections, these diverse and non linear weavings of activity are part of what make Carlos Niño’s music so inspired to my ears. He seems to just get it. He makes uplifting, soulful, joyous, energetic music - even when it’s calm and ethereal. As I’ve traveled a new path in my life over the last nearly five years, cultivating and developing spiritual and meditative practices to enhance and enlarge my essence, music has been intrinsically connected. As a doorway into the cosmos, a guide towards something greater, a companion through the dark and light mo
Read more

Supersonic Rainbow Fiend

Image
As I was contemplating this piece, sitting with the three albums being inspected, I was struck with a lot of thoughts around my journey to Jazz. Recently I mentioned my first hearing Kind of Blue and my inability to grasp the beauty of it at the time. I was a high schooler who was consumed with rap just beginning to step away from the stars of the era and digging into an underground that was vibrant and diverse. I had more digesting to do. This is a repeated pattern throughout my sonic history. I find some music that strikes a chord and I dig in. The napster fueled download era was a dream. Then came the blog era which also rewarded this kind of deep dive. I was trapped in a purgatory of my own making as streaming took rise and was fairly tuned out from anything that wasn’t equally dark and hopeless. As I emerged from that darkness and began hearing names I hadn’t heard of before, exploring this world of modern Jazz became the new quest. Initially it seemed too vast, too much. But I
Read more