JPEGMAFIA

In an era where the internet has warped news, politics and the very fabric of our lives, the firebrand rapper and producer JPEGMAFIA has discovered a way to wield it like a weapon. Barrington Hendricks was born in Brooklyn in 1989, moving as a teen to the American South before joining the U.S. Air Force, where his duty included a tour in Iraq. After he was honourably discharged and moved to Baltimore, his glitchy, hyperkinetic production and raps that warped bad-faith online discourse into something potent and new began to attract attention. His 2018 second album, Veteran, was a minor phenomenon, casting him instantly as one of his era’s shrewdest social commentators. In addition to his solo work, Hendricks has produced for artists including Denzel Curry, Armand Hammer, Danny Brown (with whom he also released the 2023 album Scaring the Hoes) and Kanye West.