7. “EP2!” (2021)

Let's get some more minor releases out of the way first:

EP2! was the second EP released in the lead-up to Barrington Hendricks' fourth album under the JPEGMAFIA monicker, so it comes in the most prolific phase of the rapper's career. It is somewhat of an odd musical detour though, even for this era. Shorter and more restrained than any full-length project Hendricks has ever brought out, EP2! is more of a Trap- and Cloud Rap-inspired collection of tracks, lacking the experimentation the artist is known for. Consequently, it can be a bit of an underwhelming listen. Nevertheless, I still feel like it's a solid project, where Hendricks shows that he can also successfully embrace a more basic and mainstream Hip Hop-sound. If you like, check out FIX URSELF!.

6. “EP!” (2020)

The first EP in the lead-up to LP! spans a bunch of singles Hendricks released over the course of 2020. Although EP! has a decent enough flow, it doesn’t live up to any of JPEGMAFIA’s full length projects, nor to the LP that would come after. However, if you follow the JPEGMAFIA canon, which means ignoring the standard version of LP!, this is the extended release you’ll find BALD! on – one of Hendricks’ most iconic songs – as well as its remix featuring none other than Denzel Curry, who of course totally slays on the song’s Atmospheric Drum & Bass production. Other highlights include the satirical Donald Trump diss THE BENDS!, the string-kissed SUPER TUESDAY!, the two-parted COVERED IN MONEY! and the groovy CUTIE PIE!. Tommy Genesis’ feature on ROUGH 7 also is entertaining enough to be notable. Sadly, the two remaining tracks BODYGUARD! and living single are rather forgettable. So, as is to be expected from Hendricks, there’s nothing unenjoyable to be found here, but except for BALD! and its remix, nothing really stands out in the context of his discography.

5. “Veteran” (2018)

While Veteran is not Barrington Hendricks' debut album as a musician nor as JPEG, it is the first essential JPEGMAFIA album – an album that deserves its place in the discography by introduced to a lot of people the Glitch Hop-formula and trash-talking leftist lyrical personality JPEGMAFIA is known for and works with until today. The name of the album is a nod to Hendricks' time in the US military. As he told Cambridge Union in 2020, he was asked to join the military in school and agreed as he needed money. Hendricks hated his time in the military and he went on to say that the only good coming from it, was the money, which he used to finance recording equipment so he could start making music on a professional level. 
As is to be expected from this background as well as the album cover and title, Veteran is the bleakest, most dark and abstract as well as the most political JPEGMAFIA album. Surprisingly, it is also the most humorous. With Veteran, Hendricks established a JPEGMAFIA cult-following that has only grown ever since. It is not his worst album by much, especially since there are worse ones I have not included in this list, and it might even – understandably so – become one of your favorites, but for me, it is just a bit too skeletal and lacking when it comes to memorable hooks and full-fledged songs. 

Check out these 3 songs: "1539 N. Calvert", "Real Nega", "Rainbow Six"

4. “All My Heroes Are Cornballs” (2019)

The sophomore JPEGMAFIA album is a big step away from Veteran and its bold and relentless experimentation. While maintaining many of the Glitch Hop elements and sticking to his musical ethos, Barrington Hendricks opens his music up to more colourful and palatable soundscapes, Neo-Soul inspired vocal parts and poppy hooks. All My Heroes Are Cornballs contains some of the most beautiful moments in the JPEGMAFIA discography ever and lots of unexpected glitchy instrumental twists. In fact, no other album in Hendricks‘ catalogue feels so much like a sound collage (case in point: the brief cover of No Scrubs in BasicBitchTearGas), which is why Cornballs is so addictive and simultaneously difficult to overplay. To encompass it all, on the front cover, Cornballs features my favorite JPEGMAFIA album art — a great illustration of how in touch Hendricks seems to be with his feminine side in this era of his music. 

Check out these 3 songs: "Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot", "Beta Male Strategies", "Free the Frail"

3. “SCARING THE HOES” (JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown, 2023)

Internet music communities went crazy when this one was announced: SCARING THE HOES is a collaborative JPEGMAFIA-produced album with none other than Danny Brown, another Experimental Hip Hop artist, who is probably just as iconic and influential as Hendricks himself. The two have immaculate chemistry on the record and outside of it. As their chronically online personalities mesh perfectly, they inspire each other to reach new heights of trash talk and sampling. SCARING THE HOES is easily the craziest album in the JPEGMAFIA discography when it comes to production. The album's unique sound comes from its entirely analogue production via the linear wave sampler Roland SP-404SX. The mixing was done on the device too and consequentially is all over the place, serving the actual music perfectly, which is pulled together from some of the wildest samples ever done in Hip Hop. Case in point: Garbage Pale Kids is sampling an old TV commercial from Japan – and somehow makes an extremely hard beat out of it. The song is further enhanced with some heavy guitars coming in at two points, hinting at what Hendricks would do on his next album. So, SCARING THE HOES is definitely a mess of a record, but it makes perfect sense considering what it is supposed to be. The result is the most fun album in the JPEGMAFIA discography.

Check out these 3 songs: “Scaring the Hoes”, “Fentanyl Tester", “Kingdom Hearts Key”

3.1 “SCARING THE HOES: DLC PACK” (JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown, 2023)

The SCARING THE HOES: DLC PACK contains four additional tracks from the SCARING THE HOES era that didn't make the cut. While none of them reach the level of craziness of the original album, they are different enough from it sonically to be of note. Check out HERMANOS especially.

2. “LP! (Offline Version)” (2021)

The fourth JPEGMAFIA full-length studio album, LP!, was released in two different versions. The “ONLINE” Version came out on the label Barrington Hendricks was signed to and fulfilled his contract. The true version for the fans, which we consider canonical in this list, was originally released via Soundcloud, Bandcamp and YouTube and contains more tracks, leaves out some of the songs from the “ONLINE” Version that were already featured on EP!, has the track listing as originally intended and exclusive, so-called “OFFLINE” mixes of the rest of the songs shared between the two versions. 
On the song either on or off the drugs from I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, Hendricks later described the process of completing LP! as rushed. Fittingly, the “OFFLINE” version largely differs from its pendant because it has several samples that were omitted from the label’s version as they were not cleared in time. Right now, the “OFFLINE” version is finally available on all streaming platforms to stream. 

Now, about the album: LP! (OFFLINE) is really good, blowing its predecessor Cornballs out of the water if you ask me. From that to this, Hendricks as a rapper, singer, producer and mixing engineer – in all the different roles he fulfills – has grown massively. It encompasses all the artist has done, from the early days under the moniker ‘Devon Hendryx’ to Veteran and All My Heroes Cornballs, and then some. LP! is a gripping listen all the way through despite its runtime, clocking in at over 55 minutes at 22 tracks. It makes for an album that has so much variety to offer and can be difficult to get into, but ultimately keeps on giving and growing even after several listens. The only downside might be the slight inconsistency of the track listing, which doesn't have much of a flow (in terms of suspense and story telling) at all times and contains some tracks and interludes that don't seem to be adding excitingly much to the album. I think it all adds up eventually though and the charm of LP! also comes from its undeniable imperfections.

Check out these 3 songs: “HAZARD DUTY PAY!”, “REBOUND!”, “DIKEMBE!”

1. “I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU” (2024)

And finally, for my unpopular number-one pick, let’s dive into Barrington Hendricks’ most recent album, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU. To say that this contains everything that makes JPEGMAFIA great, would be disingenuous. What might seem like a bad thing to say about an artist’s best album, truly is praise; a testament to Hendricks’ versatility and the distinct qualities of every one of his eras – and possibly a hint at things even greater yet to come. For now, I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU just so happens to be the most consistent JPEGMAFIA album, in my opinion, and, if you don’t have a distaste for heavy guitars, it is also his most palatable. For the first time, Hendricks seems to approach songs more traditionally when it comes to structure, while not sacrificing his artistic identity – that being confusing and abrupt twists in his instrumentals, uncompromising sampling as well as sonically combining the seemingly uncombinable. The best example for all these things might be the album’s second single SIN MIEDO. What it exemplifies on top, is how unbelievably fantastic I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU sounds. It is hands down Hendricks' best album when it comes to production, mixing and mastering, which cannot only be heard on the louder and/or more chaotic cuts, but also on the back-end of the album, where you’ll find some of the most reflective and lush cuts in the JPEGMAFIA discography, most notably the early-Kanye West-esque either on or off the drugs (sampling an AI-generated Soul-cover of the Future song Turn on the Lights) and the closing track i recovered from this, featuring a beautiful Janet Jackson-sample. On both, Hendricks gets more personal than ever before. 
The biggest highlights are to be found in the late middle portion of the album: On the lyrically savage Exmilitary (a Death Grips reference, for sure), Hendricks shows off his ability to perfectly pace a song, delivering several extremely satisfying pay-off moments; and the glorious JPEGULTRA! has the perfect Denzel Curry-feature. I could go on and on about each individual track from here on out, but just trust me when I say that pretty much every song is a highlight in the JPEGMAFIA discography.

Check out these 3 songs: “SIN MIEDO”, “Exmilitary”, “either on or off the drugs”