A Written Testimony
A Written Testimony (Arabic: شهادة مكتوبة) is the debut studio album by American rapper Jay Electronica. It was released on March 13, 2020 through Roc Nation. The album follows the release of Jay Electronica's debut mixtape, Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), almost 13 years earlier. A Written Testimony was primarily recorded in 40 days, from December 2019 to February 2020. It was supported by "Shiny Suit Theory", featuring vocals from Jay-Z and The-Dream, released in November 2010 and rereleased as a single on Tidal in September 2018.
A Written Testimony
March 13, 2020
December 26, 2019 – February 6, 2020[a]
39:34
- English
- Arabic
- Jay Electronica
- Swizz Beatz
- Hit-Boy
- The Alchemist
- No I.D.
- Khruangbin
Most of the tracks on A Written Testimony feature uncredited appearances by Jay-Z, while Travis Scott and The-Dream make credited guest appearances. Louis Farrakhan, James Blake, James Fauntleroy, and other artists provide additional vocals. Production was primarily handled by Jay Electronica, who is credited on six out of ten tracks, along with Swizz Beatz, Hit-Boy, the Alchemist, No I.D., and Khruangbin, among others. Lyrically, it is influenced by the doctrine of the Nation of Islam. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics, praising Jay Electronica's rapping and production, though certain controversial lyrics have been characterized as anti-Semitic. It debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 and also charted in Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Belgium. It received a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Recording[edit]
On February 6, 2020, Jay Electronica announced that he had completed his debut studio album A Written Testimony.[9] He recorded the album in "40 days and 40 nights", beginning on December 26, 2019.[9][b] The track "The Neverending Story" was produced by American musician the Alchemist three to four years prior to A Written Testimony, as a result of a trip he took to Argentina with rapper Eminem.[11] Jay Electronica and Jay-Z recorded the final track, "A.P.I.D.T.A.", on the night of January 26, 2020, when former NBA player Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash.[12] The former set an initial release date of March 18, 2020, which was 40 days after recording was completed.[9]
Music and composition[edit]
A Written Testimony is a hip hop record, and features Islamic influence.[16][17] It has been compared to Jay Electronica's earlier releases, due to the psychedelic production and minimal drums.[18] The album incorporates elements of ambient and soul music, and samples of pop music.[19] Fred Thomas of AllMusic described it as "a new step forward in the evolution of hip-hop."[20] Rashad Grove of Consequence of Sound noted the "unorthodox sonic tapestries" of A Written Testimony.[20][21] Despite the album being billed as a solo Jay Electronica project, it has been described as a collaborative effort due to Jay-Z's uncredited appearance on 8 out of 10 tracks, drawing comparisons to the latter's previous albums Watch the Throne (2011) with West and Everything Is Love (2018) with his wife Beyoncé.[18][22] Jay Electronica raps in Arabic throughout A Written Testimony, with one line delivered in Spanish.[23]
"The Ghost of Soulja Slim" resembles the minimalism of American record producer J Dilla.[20] Clash described the track as reminiscent of Jay Electronica's previous releases, noting the "unusual production, demo-like mixing and the MCs vocals front-and-centre."[13] The track, along with "Ezekiel's Wheel", includes a lo-fi sample.[19][24] The latter samples ambient musical duo Fripp & Eno and features a repetitive motorik click.[14][20] It has been described as slow, dreamy, and atmospheric.[20][21] William E. Ketchum III, writing for Vibe, described "The Neverending Story" as including "a somber, piano-laced Alchemist beat".[23] "Shiny Suit Theory" is made up of jazz production.[20] The cinematic production on "Universal Soldier" is constructed with a sample of English singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan, and echoed vocals by English singer James Blake.[25] The production on "Flux Capacitor" has been described as chaotic and messy, with the track being built on a sped-up sample of Barbadian singer Rihanna.[13][14]
Commercial performance[edit]
A Written Testimony debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard 200 with over 31,000 album-equivalent units, of which nearly 11,000 were pure sales.[59][60] It peaked at number eight and four on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Album Sales charts, respectively.[61][62] The album reached number 43 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart,[63] number 53 on the UK Albums Chart, number 65 on the Schweizer Hitparade Swiss Albums chart, and number 156 on the Ultratop Flanders Belgium Albums chart.[64][65][66] "The Blinding" peaked at number nine on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100.[67]
Notes
Sample credits