Rapper/producer John D. Contradiction unveils his new album 37, a 10-track self-produced musical excursion into real-time issues. From personal struggles, mental health, growing pains and emotional turmoil to soul-searching themes, John D. Contradiction gives audiences a profound and candid look into his life. The project was mixed and mastered by Grant Valentine.

The opening track, “Grateful”, is an introspective cut that unravels John D. Contradiction’s life in its unfiltered form. From self-doubt, relationship dynamics and self-discovery, the rapper sheds his firewall and bares it all with lines like “She’s right beside me when she could have just bagged an athlete/Maybe an influencer, she bad, I’m not embarrassed to admit she’s the baddest I’ve had/I set the tone of my humility, I hated myself, ignored the signs I was healing ‘cause of physical health.” The next track, “For icons,” is a bravado-driven piece comprising fiery raps over a punchy downtempo soundscape. Here, he showcases his versatility with off-kilter pen game and engaging cadence to match. This is followed by “Coconut Milk,” a soulful piece which is anchored by reflective and aspirational themes that everyone can relate to. Lines like “If I was you then I would not be me/There will be a lot of shit that I didn’t see/ a lot instances, nuances, whole lot of feelings” underscore themes of life perspectives. The next tracks, “Throwing Stones,” and “Praise” venture into different territory with dark and celebratory elements. The former is ominous and cinematic and digs into spirituality and conspiracy theories, while the latter looks at the cost of success in the modern era we live in.

Thus far, the project has been a rollercoaster of emotions, emboldened with engaging and relatable topics but the fun doesn’t stop there as we hit “Confidence,” a lyric-dense piece that points fingers at the current state of decadence that is now seen as the norm. On “Sleep,” the rapper employs a machine gun flow punctuated by vivid songwriting about work ethic. The final track, “Death” is a solemn track and oozes melancholy. Here,  John D. Contradiction raps candidly about loss, death and the difficulty in overcoming such emotions. The production is particularly engaging as it employs a mix of modern pop-rock elements with Drum and bass aesthetics and a tinge of dark pop. Other notable tracks include the heartfelt and history-driven “Time” and  “Anxiety and…” which blends rock elemets with experimental aesthetics.

37 is an enjoyable body of work with real-time issues and personal lessons that everyone can learn from.