J.R.Clark is a hip-hop artist based in Virginia Beach, VA. He started his career behind the mixing board as a studio engineer. In 2014 started releasing his own music and building a following in the underground hip-hop scene. Inspired by artists like Curren$y, Stalley, Big K.R.I.T, J.Cole, Rick Ross, Schoolboy Q, and Chance the Rapper, J.R.Clark’s latest project, an EP titled “Sunset Symphony”. If, after listening this recording, you’re under the impression that J.R.Clark is preparing to take over the world, you’re neither alone nor unjustified. For decades hip-hop has seen myriads of artists fleetingly captivate the attention of listeners with promises of masterworks, only to fade quickly when their output proves to be, at best, mediocre.
Those artists poised to don the crown and galvanize hip-hop make us hold our collective breaths. J.R.Clark emerges through a suffocating billow of mumble rap convincing us that forward is the only existing direction for hip-hop. The single “Zenith Spokes” introduces newcomers to just about all of J.R.Clark trademarks: the bark, the hustle, the money, the vision, and, most importantly, the incredible ear for beats.
Although the resonant, fluttering piano and opalescent orchestral augmentation initially seem more attuned to levity, J.R.Clark’s penchant for addictive hooks and his exhaustive thesaurus of flows awaken the verve hidden within the musky hollows of the beat, sketching a menacing mission statement.
And while J.R.Clark is a more than competent lyrical rapper, he doubles up that skill factor with his commanding presence and varied flow. “Zenith Spokes” finds the rapper at a lyrical apex as he entwines introspection and storytelling to spit some of his tightest verses.
He sounds a remarkably captivating rapper, tumbling between words with a bluster unmatched by your regular trap goons. His flow is urgent whilst lyrical, ensuring some meaning is attached to his quotables. The track employs a mix of dark, introspective rhymes with some confrontational ignorance, laid over flawless production. As a bar-for-bar emcee, J.R.Clark has no problem flexing his lyrical abilities with an urgent delivery.
The music on the record is well done, and will easily contribute to J.R.Clark’s prospective transformation from one of hip hop’s distinctive up-and-comers into a formidable mass-audience competitor.
Capable of balancing and articulating his conceptual goals, he will no doubt receive credit for “Zenith Spokes” punch and polish, however the real rumble is provided by J.R.Clark’s keen eye for detail and his knack for turning his observations into distinctive verses.
Beneath any gangsta rubric writ large, you’ll hear superb tales about the hard knocks, the hedonistic luxuries, and the never-ending street hustle. Furthermore, he has a deceptive amount of lyrical skill and an abundance of charisma. All of this comes through on Zenith Spokes”.
Although, this would only be half the story because J.R.Clark’s comes in with a fantastically menacing swagger on this track and paints the picture of a man that you definitely don’t want to mess with. Lookout for the new EP coming from J.R.Clark in 2019 – “Antique Summer” which features notable collaborations including Fendi P from Jetlife Records and more underground artists.
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