NY-born, ATL-based rapper JustFresh started writing poetry in middle school and by the time he got to high school, he started recording his poetry over beats. After releasing a handful of mixtapes he dropped his self-produced debut album via Bandcamp and has released 3 albums in the space of 6 years. After taking a self-imposed hiatus to attend Audio engineering school, he is now back with a new EP What’s it Worth? which comes on the heels of his 2 part instrumental projects JustFresh Beats Vol 1 and 2.
The 7 track project serves as a form of introduction to his artistry after taking time off to enhance his skills as an audio engineer and songwriter.
It starts with “Lemme Paint a Picture,” which has a dark, moody vibe and comprises atmospheric synths and bouncy drums that fit his mellow and impassioned flow. The track’s theme is consistent, and bars like “Meditating listening to rhythms, get a vision light is going through the prism and its glistening/life is like a carousel spinning with the slightest bit of motion? I grab the mic so I can inspire emotions” accentuates the visual aesthetic of how he writes his bars. It is bravado laden and focuses on pure verbal prowess, so it’s an excellent way to set the tone for the project. “Suspended In Air” is reflective and sees JustFresh contemplating his life thus far.
JustFresh acknowledges the daily struggle he has to face, stating he’s not the one to play with and lines like “it inspires me to rise in occasionally bad weather, weather the storm, whether or not you feeling let up/ Never drop I keep my head up, focus always ahead of me, never know when a fucking friend of me turn enemy” shows how focused he is on what he has to do to stay afloat. The track has a foreboding atmosphere with its dark production and gloomy energy.
The third track titled “This That One” is an instrumental track that is split into two. The first half has a bright feel with its uplifting guitar backline and surreal sound design all underpinned by a snapping drum groove. The second half switches into a cinematic and ominous piece ripe with thick 808 kicks, menacing synths and layered sound design. The groove for both tracks is similar but distinct enough.
“Hustle Til The 1st” starts on a mellow note and builds up nicely into a reflective vibe perfect for JustFresh’s go-getter mindset. He uses vivid rhyme schemes and wordplay that allude to his resilience and perseverance in an unforgiving world. On the track, he also shows a lot of urgency as he knows he doesn’t have forever to make his dreams come true, and he has to take action immediately. “Stars At Night” is quite a departure from the previous songs and uses a more upbeat electronic aesthetic. He uses surreal-sounding pads with bright plucks laced with glitchy effects and a solid bassline to match. Honestly, he’s showing how versatile he is with the music.
The project closes out with “Deep In Space” and “Shadows in the Fog”, The former has a dark electronic texture and rousing drums and sees Justfresh delivering a fiery performance ripe with engaging bars while the latter is a sombre and solemn instrumental that is made up of melancholic soundscapes. The track is layered and dynamic as it exudes a lot of ebb and flow.
Overall, the project could be succinct at 23 mins 42 sec but it’s enough to give listeners an insight into JustFresh’s creativity and his persona as an artist and a young man trying to make his way in this dog-eat-dog world.
Besides rapping and producing, JustFresh is also a barber.
Stream What’s it Worth? on all DSPs here.
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This article was published in support of the artist’s promotional campaign for this release.
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