Every generation of hip-hop has produced a female emcee that is so good, you just refer to them as one of the nicest emcees. Period. Roxanne Shante, MC Lyte, and Lauryn Hill all possessed skills that made people classify them with the men rather than with the women. You can add Jean Grae to that list, maybe even to the top of it. Born in South Africa to two jazz musicians, Jean earned her strips in the mid 90’s as a member of the BK collective Natural Resource. Going by the name of What What, the emcee/singer/producer soon went for dolo. After a couple years of standout guest spots she changed her name to Jean Grae and dropped her solo debut “Attack of the Attacking Things” to critical acclaim.
After last years teaser “Bootleg of the Bootleg EP” and her affiliation with The Roots, Jean is finally garnering the buzz she so richly deserves. “This Week” comes via Babygrande, and if there is any justice, it will only a stepping stone to Jean making a real breakthrough. Despite an incredibly sexy voice and precise flow, you cannot miss that Jean is a mind-bending lyricist first and foremost. From the outset of the opening song “A-Alikes” Jean will have you searching for the rewind button with bars like; “A burnt sky scorched the earth’s flesh/at the same time the murderous text/arose like a phoenix with the glow of death/a poet two steps ahead like Noah just left/mo’ and sex, holdin’ techs/no, I’m not what you’d expect.” Speaking of her flow, and her voice, her liquid delivery and singing abilities take center stage on the very next song “Going Crazy” and later on “Not Like Me” and “The Wall.” Each is as dope as the next.
Not surprisingly, Jean turns out her most inspired efforts when the production is at its best. Even less of a surprise is that 9th Wonder provides two of these moments. “Don’t Rush Me” is dope, but it is “Supa Luva” that really steals the show. Obviously a passionate subject, Jean kills her love songs such as the aforementioned “Supa Luva” and retro “Give It Up.” But just check all the label references in the latter, something tells me it’s another metaphor for hip-hop. The only times this album dips off is when the production isn’t up to par (“You Don’t Want It” & “Fyre Blazer” for example).
The best part is that is just the tip of the iceberg for Ms. Grae as bigger things are clearly on the horizon for a woman of her immense talents. People need to learn that females can contribute more to hip-hop than a jiggling ass and skanky rhymes. More importantly, Jean is just one of the illest emcees gripping a mic today; male, female, animal, vegetable, whatever. Get “This Week” this week.
