As I have been reiterating frequently on this record lately, the notion that Hip Hop music has become boring and stale is so tired and untrue in my opinion. Of course, when a genre moves to the forefront of the mainstream, a lot of its most popular music will be cookie-cutter. You can say this about many eras of Pop and Rock music when they dominated the charts, even if a lot of the non-mainstream music in those genres was extremely innovative. I feel like this is happening for Hip Hop right now. If you only listen to the most popular, mainstream stuff, you do not get to hear the diversity that is oozing out of the genre. One artist who is on the rise right now that proves this point is YhapoJJ. He is an up-and-coming underground Hip Hop star with a sound and style that is completely individual. YhapoJJ, who is from Alabama, is a leader of the “Jerk Rap” scene that has been emerging in underground and indie Hip Hop scenes over the last couple of years. YhapoJJ is a young artist(he is only 19) that has not been around for long, but has already been making a big impact. YhapoJJ has been uploading music on Soundcloud and Spotify for about 3 years, but he truly started to pop off in 2023. Last year, he was super prolific in his releases. YhapoJJ released a plethora of stand-alone singles in 2023; he also dropped two albums in 2023 titled Pluto and Gossip Girl, as well as an EP called Evolution of Xur. Some of YhapoJJ’s biggest tracks to date were a part of these projects, and they helped cement him as one who needs to be watched in the underground rap community. YhapoJJ recently released his first project of 2024, an album called P.S. Fuck You. This project may not be the most consistent project I have ever heard, but YhapoJJ’s massive potential is evident. P.S. Fuck You is a very interesting album that is unlike so much of what is going on in Hip Hop right now, and it is full of high points that will definitely have me excited to hear what YhapoJJ does in the future. Below, I wanted to talk about some of my favorite tracks from YhapoJJ’s P.S. Fuck You(I will also put a rating and a few closing statements at the end for those interested). Please let me know in the comments below what songs you enjoy from YhapoJJ’S P.S. Fuck You, and also comment on how you feel about the album as a whole. 

INNER PROBLEMS

YhapoJJ immediately drew me into P.S. Fuck You with the first track, ‘Inner Problems.’ This track got me excited for the potential of this record, as it is so appealing. ‘Inner Problems’ is driven by an ethereal piano-driven melody that makes me feel like I am floating when I hear it. This piano riff is complemented by celestial synths and put on top of a buzzing bassline that gives the song so much power. YhapoJJ’s vocals on this track are so weird and enthralling. The range and tone that he sings with almost have a bit of an anxious tone to them. His vocals match the pleasant feeling of the instrumental, but also almost give the song an apprehensive feeling. ‘Inner Problems’ is a great opening track that really draws me into this album from the start.

IMA STAR

YhapoJJ went two for two to start this record, as the second song, ‘Ima Star,’ is just as appealing as the first. Sonically, this song is not super different from the one that precedes it. It has the same kind of charming, Atmospheric sound as the opener. ‘Ima Star’ does have a few elements that make it stand out, though. For one, this melody is a lot more triumphant sounding than the one on ‘Inner Problems.’ The horns and synths that drive this melody are so grand and give this song a super uplifting feeling. The beat for ‘Ima Star’ absolutely pounds; the way the bass rattles makes this song feel so huge. I really like the way YhapoJJ’s low and raspy tone contrasts the epic sound of the instrumental, as it gives the track so much texture. ‘Ima Star’ is another really cool track that gets P.S. Fuck You started on a very high note. 

FLY

‘Fly’ has a similar bright and elegant sound to ‘Ima Star.’ Honestly, this song reminds me a lot of that one, to be honest. There are a couple of things about ‘Fly’ that set it apart, though. For one, The synths that drive the melody for this one are extremely saturated, giving the song a very neo-modern feel. I really enjoy the twinkling synths that come in and out of this melody, as they make the song feel so light and positive. The beat for ‘Fly’ is pretty bass-heavy and tough, but it does not take away from the cheery feeling of the track. YhapoJJ’s vocals on this track are pretty delicate and stripped back to his vocals on the last two tracks. This more faint delivery goes really well with the sparkling feeling of the instrumental. ‘Fly’ is a charming Trap track that just puts me in a good mood when it comes on. 

FUNNYMAN

‘Funnyman,’ which is produced by FearDorian(who I just covered in a post about a new song from him, AyooLii, and Polo Perks), has a completely different sound than the first few tracks I picked. This is an upbeat Pop-Trap track with a feeling that is easy-going and energetic at the same time. The melody for this one is very sweet and calming; it is driven by an R&B-style piano melody that is complemented by some pleasant synths. I really like the way YhapoJJ’s flows on this faster-paced beat; he rides the beat perfectly and makes the track all the more enthralling. The only thing that holds ‘Funnyman’ back is its length; I wish this one was longer because it is so enjoyable. ‘Funnyman’ is a super fun track that shows a different side to YhapoJJ I appreciate a ton and would love to see more of.

FEELINGS

‘Feelings’ is definitely one of the most quirky songs on this record, but it is also one of the most engaging. Everything about this song is eccentric and weird. The melody for this one is so complex. It is driven by very glorious synths that are complemented by horns that come in and out. This intricate melody is put on top of an even more intricate beat, which has a buzzing bassline and a very off-kilter tempo. ‘YhapoJJ’s rap performance on this one is just as strange as the instrumental. The way his flow sits on this beat is super out of place, but it makes the song pop and keeps me on my toes as a listener. ‘Feelings’ is a pretty strange song, but it works for what it is.

TOUCH EVB

‘Touch Evb’ feels like YhapoJJ’s take on the R&B Trap music that is big today. The melody for this one has an old-school R&B feeling that takes me back to the 1990s. When I hear this melody, I think of artists like Mariah Carey or Monica. This effervescent, piano-driven melody is put on top of a light yet slightly abnormal Trap beat that almost has a bit of an anxious feeling to it. The way this melody contrasts the beat makes the song beguiling. YhapoJJ delivers one of his best vocal performances of the record on ‘Touch Evb.’ His vocals are just as captivating as the instrumental, and make this song very entertaining. ‘Touch Evb’ shows a slightly different side to YhapoJJ’s artistry than what I have seen previously; it proves how range he has when he wants to branch out.

PIC

Pretty much every track on this record feels very ultramodern, and ‘Pic’ probably feels the most that way. This track honestly sounds like it came right out of the future. Everything about ‘Pic’ is fresh. The insanely saturated melody, which is driven by a bunch of extremely bright synths with various tones and levels of distortion, sounds like it came out of a beach party from the year 2080. The beat on ‘Pic’ is bass-heavy and does rattle, but it is not as hard as some of the other beats on this record. I like the less aggressive feeling of this beat, as it goes very well with the sunny feeling of this instrumental. YhapoJJ’s vocals on this track are not extremely fascinating, but they do go nicely with the relaxed feeling of the instrumental. ‘Pic’ is a cool track with a utopian feeling that will bring anyone’s mood up who loves Melodic Trap music. 

When listening to P.S. Fuck You, it is easy to see that YhapoJJ’s massive potential is there. As I mentioned in the introduction, though, the thing that holds this album back is inconsistency. P.S Fuck You is full of peaks and valleys. There are moments on this album that are so riveting and enthralling, and others that are just kind of bland. It sort of feels like it is easy to tell when YhapoJJ jives with an instrumental based on his vocal performance. On the instrumentals that I would guess he is not as into, the passion in his vocals is lacking. In the future, I would love to hear him hone in on his sound a bit more to garner more consistency overall. YhapoJJ definitely shows why he is so special and why so many people are gravitating towards his very unique sound on P.S. Fuck You, though. This is a very cool album that proves YhapoJJ is onto something super cool, and I want to see how he improves upon this style of music in the future.