I have to assume that the reason I haven’t been moved sooner, or with greater passion, to post on the fact that the great lost backpacker-hop tapes, aka Jean Grae’s 9th Wonder-produced Jeanius album, has finally seen a cleaned-up, remastered and retooled light-of-day release is the fact that, for those of us who’ve been rabidly nipping at Jean’s heels since her drop-dead stunning, wordy, brainy and brilliant solo debut album have already consumed 99.9% of the Jeanius songs in some form or fashion.
That, however, kinda diminishes the fact that Jeanius is 100% of everything that’s made Jean a slow-burning independant wonder, one who has unfortunately suffered for it-bouncing from label to label, refusing to sexify her image and become another Khia (see also: WTF, that would end in inevitable crash-down-burn-out anyway). I’ve always tended to think of Jean when listening to Lupe Fiasco’s robotic, minimal statement-of-purpose ‘Dumb It Down”, particularly during the song’s ending, closing shot: “they told me I should come down cousin, but I flatly refuse I ain’t dumb down nothing”.
Over a doo-wop sing-song beat constructed, as per 9th Wonder’s usual, out of minimal pieces and a stacked, hollow drum kit meant to bring the barest notion of backing to whatever wordy rappinghood is happening on top, Jean immediately pulls her knife from her boot and starts cutting-the industry, her critics, her fans, herself. She can do one thing, she wants you to know, and that’s rock the mic. Not a swimsuit, not a video. She’s not making it rain, she’s not tossing hundreds-hell, as she admits, her flow hasn’t made her any cash and she doesn’t know how to execute a cash grab, though it’s what she oft fantasises about. Her most powerful verse here is a really simple quotable, one that holds a massive, thinking punch:
“I don’t give a fuck if you frame that, or quote it
I meant what I said, ’cause I wrote it
Point noted”
Jean’s sincere, she’s filled with self-doubt, and she’s great. Not in the way Jay-Z is great, because, let’s face it, he’s the Obama of rap-the great unifier, the one who put chills down your spine with the simplest couplet. Grae’s far more of a back-burner, but equally as great. Every bit a Jeanius.
