Jay Electronica was legendary even before he dropped an official album. Inspired by LL COOL J, he began rapping at the age of 10 in the Magnolia Projects in New Orleans. He would develop into one of the most highly-regarded MCs after releasing material on Myspace, including "Act 1: Eternal Sunshine," a 15-minute track featuring him rapping over the score to the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Jay Elec earned co-signs from the likes of JAY-Z, Nas, Diddy, Just Blaze and J Dilla, which added to his reputation and made his solo album one of the most anticipated in years. In 2010, he signed with JAY-Z's Roc Nation label, but it would be another ten years before a long-promised debut studio album would arrive. His official studio effort, A Written Testimony, finally arrived to critical acclaim in March 2020.