I Lay Down My Life for You

I Lay Down My Life for You
Studio album by JPEGMafia
Released	August 1, 2024 (2024-08-01)
Genre	Industrial hip hop rap metal experimental hip hop avant-garde rap punk rap rap rock
Length	41:17
Label	AWAL
Producer	JPEGMafia DJ RaMeMes (O Destruidor do Funk) Flume Kenny Beats Nick Lee Billy Ray Alex Goldblatt
JPEGMafia chronology
Scaring the Hoes (2023) I Lay Down My Life for You (2024)
Alternative cover
Bandcamp and Premium Edition cover
Singles from I Lay Down My Life for You
"Don't Rely on Other Men" Released: June 17, 2024 "Sin Miedo" Released: July 15, 2024

I Lay Down My Life for You is the fifth studio album by the American rapper JPEGMafia, released on August 1, 2024, through AWAL. Two singles were released in promotion of the album: "Don't Rely on Other Men" featuring Freaky on June 17 and "Sin Miedo" on July 15. The album features guest appearances from Vince Staples, Freaky, Denzel Curry and Buzzy Lee. An accompanying tour in promotion of the album began on August 7.

Background and recording

Following the release of his collaborative album Scaring the Hoes with Danny Brown in March 2023, JPEGMafia began teasing his next album. On April 4, 2024, he posted on X/Twitter that the solo studio album would be coming "very soon." On June 12, he announced the "Lay Down My Life" tour, scheduled to begin on August 7 in Pomona, California, and ending on September 21 in Chicago.

On June 17, "Don't Rely on Other Men", featuring previous collaborator Freaky, was released as the first single from the album. It marked his first release since Scaring the Hoes and his contributions to Vultures 1 by ¥$, as well as his first solo release since the 2021 album LP!. On July 15, "Sin Miedo" was released as the second single.

On July 29, 2024, JPEGMafia announced the album's title—I Lay Down My Life for You—and released an album trailer. He initially stated it would be released "next week," later clarifying the release date as August 1.

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	78/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Clash	8/10
Kerrang!	4/5
Pitchfork	6.9/10

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, I Lay Down My Life for You received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 from 8 critic scores.

The album received an 8/10 from Clash, which said: "[c]ome for the headlines, but stay for the below-the-bar thrills. I Lay Down My Life For You is in turns earnest and surreal, confusing and pristine. Closing "i recovered from this" enthuses in its own rapture, the woozy sample pleading: "Funny how time flies when you’re having fun / Please stay…"".

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Paul Simpson claimed that the album shared, "a lot of the sonic hallmarks common to Peggy's work, from abrasive, disjointed production to troll-ish lyrics and song titles. He leans a lot more into rock influences on this album, with metal guitars blaring on several tracks, usually popping up in well-timed bursts and providing a welcome release." and concluded that, "JPEGMAFIA's confrontational personality can be overbearing at times, especially to listeners who don't consider themselves to be chronically online, but his production is always stellar, and his sheer creativity is unparalleled." The album was later selected by AllMusic's editors for inclusion in their 'Best of 2024' music releases list.

Concluding the review for Kerrang, Mischa Pearlman summarized that "those who are only after heavy guitars in their music won't be completely satisfied, especially in the mellow closing strains of "Don't Put Anything on the Bible" and the '60s psychedelia of ender i recovered from this. But that's on them. After all, you can't always get what you want. But this stunning, expansive collection of songs delivers exactly what this torrid world needs: a simultaneous celebration and indictment that will stand the test of time for decades to come."

In a more muted response from Pitchfork, Matthew Ritchie stated that, "At times his extremely online subject matter takes the bloom off his writing. But his innate ability to shift between breakneck flows amid chaotic production buoys the album."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Barrington Hendricks; "New Black History" and "JPEGUltra!" co-written with their respective guests, "Don't Put Anything on the Bible" co-written with Robert Hazard. All tracks are produced by JPEGMafia, unless otherwise noted.

I Lay Down My Life for You track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"I Scream This in the Mirror Before I Interact with Anyone"		1:49
2.	"Sin Miedo"		2:47
3.	"I'll Be Right There"		2:48
4.	"It's Dark and Hell Is Hot"	JPEGMafia DJ RaMeMes (O Destruidor do Funk)	2:30
5.	"New Black History" (featuring Vince Staples)	JPEGMafia Flume	2:17
6.	"Don't Rely on Other Men" (album version; featuring Freaky)		2:52
7.	"Vulgar Display of Power"		2:52
8.	"Exmilitary"		5:01
9.	"Jihad Joe"	JPEGMafia Kenny Beats	2:14
10.	"JPEGUltra!" (featuring Denzel Curry)	JPEGMafia Kenny Beats Nick Lee Billy Ray Alex Goldblatt	4:52
11.	"Either On or Off the Drugs"		2:21
12.	"Loop It and Leave It"		2:01
13.	"Don't Put Anything on the Bible" (featuring Buzzy Lee)		4:05
14.	"I Recovered from This"		2:56
Total length:			41:17

2xLP Premium Edition bonus track (side B)

No.	Title	Length
15.	Untitled	2:45
Total length:		44:02

Notes

• "I Scream This in the Mirror Before I Interact with Anyone", "It's Dark and Hell Is Hot", "Don't Rely on Other Men", "Vulgar Display of Power", "Either On or Off the Drugs", "Loop It and Leave It" and "I Recovered from This" are stylised in all lowercase.
• "Sin Miedo", "Jihad Joe" and "JPEGUltra!" are stylised in all caps.
• The Premium Edition additionally features instrumentals of all tracks on sides C and D, with minor differences:
  • Track C6 is an extended version of the outro to "New Black History".
  • Tracks C9 and C10 are both instrumentals of "Exmilitary".
  • Instrumentals for "I Scream This in the Mirror Before I Interact with Anyone", "JPEGUltra!", "Loop It and Leave It", and "Don't Put Anything on the Bible" are extended.

Samples

• "Sin Miedo" contains samples of "Hoochie Mama", as written and performed by 2 Live Crew.
• "I'll Be Right There" contains samples of "Don't Walk Away", written by Vassal Benford III and Ronald Spearman, as performed by Jade.
• "New Black History" contains a sample of "Covered N Money", written by Nayvadius Wilburn and Sonny Uwaezuoke, as performed by Future.
• "It's Dark and Hell Is Hot" contains a sample of "Upa Upa Pocoto x 170Bpm", produced by DJ RaMeMes (O Destruidor do Funk).
• "Don't Rely on Other Men" contains a sample of dialogue from episode 1 of season 1 of Succession, "Celebration", as spoken by Brian Cox.
• "Vulgar Display of Power" contains samples of "Bring the Pain", written by Clifford Smith and Robert Diggs, as performed by Method Man, and "Hit 'Em Up", written by Tupac Shakur, Bruce Washington, Yafeu Fula, Malcolm Greenidge, Duane Hitchings, Franne Golde, and Dennis Lambert, as performed by 2Pac featuring the Outlawz.
• "Exmilitary" contains samples of "Tearz", as written and performed by Wu-Tang Clan.
• "Jihad Joe" contains samples of "It's Your Thing", written by Ronald Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Jr., and Rudolph Isley, as performed by Cold Grits.
• "Either On or Off the Drugs" contains samples of an artificial intelligence cover of "Turn On the Lights", written by Nayvadius Wilburn, Marquel Middlebrooks, and Michael Williams, as performed by Future.
• "I Recovered from This" contains samples of "Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)", written by Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, as performed by Jackson.
• Untitled bonus track contains samples of "Weak Azz Bitch", written by Paul Beauregard and Jordan Houston, and performed by Three 6 Mafia featuring La Chat.

Charts

Chart performance for I Lay Down My Life for You

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums (ARIA)	25
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	117
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)	60
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	33
Scottish Albums (OCC)	61
UK Independent Albums (OCC)	30
UK Physical Albums (OCC)	97
UK R&B Albums (OCC)	9
US Billboard 200	102
US Independent Albums (Billboard)	15
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	35