When you decide that the music medium you want to express yourself in is hip-hop, the quality of your art (or the lack of it) basically depends on two elements: your lyrics and how you flow them together and the choice of beats/samples/ possibly music that supports the rhyming process.
Not too many elements to rely on there, so basically if one is even slightly lacking, you got nowhere to hide.
As far as beats or samples are concerned, a solid music background will do the trick, but, then, somebody can help you with that.
Yet if your lyrics and/or rhymes suck, there’s not much there that can help you. This is particularly the case if there is no essential living experience or understanding of things around you to make your lyrics/rhymes work.
Based on his latest album XIV XXVIII, Washington DC rapper J Ru has both of the key elements working for him. On one hand, the beats/samples are almost impeccable here. He has engaged quite a number of helping hands here to make sure that this part of the equation works in the best possible manner.
Still, what about his lyrics and rhymes? Well, it seems that J Ru has turned his personal life problems into something that can work in his favor here. He has faced the struggles of depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, and self-image issues, all of which are reflected in this autobiographical album, As he puts it “writing was the tool that helped save my life”.
Essentially, J Ru has turned all the negatives he has faced into a positive inspiration since before XIV XXVIII he has also released two EP’s and another album in 2021. But this latest release is the one that is fully formed and has the possibility to put J Ru on the hip-hop map.
