A Written Testimony
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LP / Format
Roc Nation / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS
91
Rest assured, Jay Electronica earns his reputation as an elite rhymer-sayer on A Written Testimony.
10mo
90
Jay-Z and Jay Electronica sound energized by each other, giving powerful performances at every turn. Bold production choices gel with this collaborative energy for an album that's inspired, driven, and sounds moved by the hand of unseen powers.
9mo
84
After years of waiting and mounting hype, Jay Electronica’s fantastic debut is a mystical, distinctive work that nearly lives up to all the lore surrounding the rapper.
10mo
83
The long-awaited debut album from the rapper is an impressive, noteworthy performance. But he's often outshined by Jay-Z.
10mo
80
As an album and summation of why so many people have revered Jay Electronica for so long, A Written Testimony was absolutely worth the wait. Let’s just hope the next one arrives sometime this decade.
9mo
80
‘A Written Testimony’ is a biblical album for biblical times, with enough human flaws to make it imperfect.
9mo
80
A Written Testimony still makes me want to hear more of what Jay Electronica has to offer. I hope we don’t have to wait another decade or complete societal collapse for us to get another album.
9mo
80
An album that dares to tackle life's big questions head on.
6mo
70
As welcome as JAY-Z's frequent appearances on A Written Testimony are, it's clear that his purpose here is to serve as Electronica's human security blanket. That's forgivable for a first run, but if Electronica is to reach his full potential, he'll need to get comfortable with standing on his own two feet on future albums.
10mo
60
It’s a blessing to have so much new material from Jay Electronica on a single project, but this comes across as a collaborative Jay Z and Jay E album rather than a solo record. Throughout, Electronica cedes the spotlight to Jay Z, making ‘A Written Testimony’ sound like a ‘Watch The Throne’ or ‘Everything Is Love’.
10mo
My sincere hope is that as the years go by, Jay Electronica's grand studio album debut will be regarded as a commendable moment in modern hip hop. What I believe such a great album from a skilled rapper represents, ultimately, is that age does not determine your place in rap. In a culture widely dominated by a young generation of aspiring acts, Jay Electronica proved, at the age of 43, that he has the full capability of putting together an innovative, abundant, thoughtful piece of work. And he ... read more
Stunning debut from rap's most enigmatic figure of the past decade. Two legends going bar-for-bar on some polished, old school production.
Holy shit. I have never seen an album live up to the hype like this. I’m speechless.
Edit: I was expecting this to be underwhelming considering how impossible it would be to live up to expectations. However, Jay Electronica has made a damn great album here. Yeah I wasn't expecting to hear Jay-Z on almost every song, but he does a great job of taking the supporting role here and letting Electronica shine.
FAVS:
Ghost of Soulja Slim, The Blinding, The Neverending Story, Universal Soldier, ... read more
Edit: I was expecting this to be underwhelming considering how impossible it would be to live up to expectations. However, Jay Electronica has made a damn great album here. Yeah I wasn't expecting to hear Jay-Z on almost every song, but he does a great job of taking the supporting role here and letting Electronica shine.
FAVS:
Ghost of Soulja Slim, The Blinding, The Neverending Story, Universal Soldier, ... read more
« Jay proved himself. »
And that goes for both Jay Z and Jay E.
Dozens of 'artists' have made their mark on rap with one banger, made the crowds dance during one Billboard 100 hit, then nothing. Not enough consistency. A lot of them have fallen into oblivion after only a few years without an album, but not Jay Electronica. It must be said that the New Orleans MC made a lasting impression on rap, with only a short 15-minute mixtape and an iconic single: "Exhibit C". And if ... read more
And that goes for both Jay Z and Jay E.
Dozens of 'artists' have made their mark on rap with one banger, made the crowds dance during one Billboard 100 hit, then nothing. Not enough consistency. A lot of them have fallen into oblivion after only a few years without an album, but not Jay Electronica. It must be said that the New Orleans MC made a lasting impression on rap, with only a short 15-minute mixtape and an iconic single: "Exhibit C". And if ... read more
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Year End Lists
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Track List
- The Overwhelming Event
- Ghost of Soulja Slim
- The Blinding (feat. Travis Scott)
- The Neverending Story
- Shiny Suit Theory (feat. The-Dream)
- Universal Soldier
- Flux Capacitor
- Fruits of the Spirit
- Ezekiel’s Wheel (feat. The-Dream)
- A.P.I.D.T.A.
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3w
I actually had high hopes for this despite being a big melon fan, but alas it sucks. Boring verses, skits, and an unnecessary amount of sound effects. How many time do you need to add clapping and poorly mixed version of Westside Gunn's adlib.
10mo
anthony fantano just keeps being a complete idiot when it comes to rap music. no one should take his opinion on the genre seriously.
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Added on: February 7, 2020