Juicy J takes a left turn with jazzy new album “Ravenite Social Club”

Juicy J is a legend. However, he’s not known for his versatility. He’s still trippy, and has been for most of his career. He’s been making hard-hitting Memphis anthems, whether he’s solo or with Three 6 Mafia. It’s a feature, not a bug. That said, Juicy J has thrown us for a loop with his new album. Ravenite Social Club is every bit as refined and slick as its title and artwork would have you believe. The opening track, with its dramatic soul arrangements and sound effects, sets the stage perfectly. This is an expensive-sounding album, and Juicy J is more than up to the task of matching the production behind the mic.

We start off a bit bumpy with the second track, “The Higher Up’s.” The “corporate America” ​​chorus is a really bad hook, and the rest of the song doesn’t quite do enough to overcome this formative flaw. Juicy J ventures elsewhere Ravenite Social ClubBut it comes across much better on a track like “Don’t Go Out.” The highlights, though, tend to be the songs that marry the retro aesthetic with Juicy J’s melodic flows. “Everything All Good” and “Suicide Doors” are stone-cold bangers, between the production and deft wordplay that betrays the rapper’s age. The latter is bolstered by a standout guest verse from Cordae. Ravenite Social Club Could have been a bit shorter, but overall it’s one of J’s best solo releases.

1. The provider
2. The Higher Above
3. Don’t go outside
4. That’s Gangsta
5. All is well
6. F**ked Up era
7. I thought it was
8. Earn It (with Emi Secrest)
9. The past is the past
10. Consequence
11. Payment
12. One in a million
13. Suicide Doors (with Cordae)
14. The heart of the matter
15. For You (with Robert Glasper and Emi Secrest)
16. Sometimes
17. Things Changed (with Emi Secrest, MacKenzie)