Rapper Jpegmafia is hailed as an idol. The audience chants his pet name ‘Peggy’ in the sold-out main hall of Paradiso, Amsterdam. But the rapper from Brooklyn, New York, doesn’t have star allures. He does his performance all by himself, even without a DJ to put on the music for the next song. After each song, he walks to the tech table, turns the knobs, and then sprints back to take off his raps with big strides and powerful voice.
Jpegmafia, pseudonym of Barrington Hendricks, is known for being eccentric and activist. In his lyrics, he incorporates the reactions he has received to his dark skin over the course of his 32-year life. He does this in a funny way, as is apparent from the titles on the set list: ‘What Kind Of Rappin’ Is This’, ‘Sick, Nervous & Broke!’ and ‘I Cannot Fucking Wait Till Morrissey Dies’ – although he announced the latter as a song about his ‘greatest idol.’
He also makes the beats himself and they are chaotic and original. He uses different rhythms, instruments and sound effects than in most hip-hop. He chooses breaking glass and beeping modems, atmospheric soundscapes and funny tunes, or lascivious horn blasts, as in the exciting ‘Rebound’.
In Paradiso you could hear how he rhythmically waves the words or thrashes like a tormentor. In his wool sweater and shiny hot pants, on sturdy black boots, Jpegmafia had the room by his side from the first note. In songs like ‘Thug Tears’ there was a moshpit from stage to bar. Whether he was singing an a cappella rendition of “Call Me Maybe” (by Carly Rae Jepsen) or rolling off the stage in a diatribe, he wasn’t alone here: the audience was his choir and his sounding board.