The TDE hype train just keeps on rolling. Jay Rock, one quarter of the hip hop collective Black Hippy, featuring none other than Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul, has only developed a new wave of anticipation for his upcoming project with the release of yet another new single, Gumbo. With an album release date still unannounced, a slew of singles is continuing to whet the appetites of hip hop heads and rap fans alike. While his previous single Money Trees Deuce sought to capitalise on the fame and stature of Kendrick, acting as a sequel to the Good Kid, M.A.A.D City track Money Trees, the new track Gumbo shows that Jay Rock is more than capable of carrying a track by himself, with his fiery and impassioned vocals offering a stark contrast to the very 90’s West Coast beat.
Jay Rock has long been seen as an oft-overlooked member of the Black Hippy movement in comparison to his peers, with ScHoolboy Q putting out two albums, Kendrick dropping a classic in To Pimp a Butterfly, and Ab-Soul finally gaining some exposure with his These Days… release, all while Jay Rock has waited patiently to finally grace the world with some new music. The hunger and desire for some exposure is shining through on every track we have heard so far, and it is evident that Jay Rock is one motivated individual who doesn’t want to forever live in the shadow of his label mates. While the sound and direction of these singles is most likely not going to cater to the mainstream audiences, it is refreshing that Jay has not felt a need to switch up his flow just to sell records; it would be a disservice to abandon such an aggressive approach to his music.
2015 has already established itself as a monumental hip hop year, and it looks like Jay Rock is going to set the rap game alight, and introduce another hot young spitter into the mix.