I Talk About An Album: Jay Electronica's A Written Testimony & Act II: The Patents of Nobility

Exhibit C is one of the purest expressions of rap I have ever heard in my life. It is a rags to riches story, a testament of will, a declaration of I am here to stay. It was, in essence the perfect hype song. So, it was with a lot of sadness that I didn't hear an album, but was just getting some songs here and there, with the vast majority of them showing what could possibly be. Then I saw a picture of the supposed album tracklist and I saw some weird titles and that Kanye West was meant to be on it. 

 

Excitement sparked again. I thought it was coming out soon. And so, we chilled and we had hope. Then in 2019 we found out that it was a lie. We calmed down because we had no fucking choice and we had some songs to keep us. Then almost without warning, we heard he was dripping an album, BUT it would not be Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn). I really didn't give a fuck, because at that point I would take whatever I could get to be honest. Much like Dr. Dre and his mythical Detox that was shelved in place of Compton, any fucking port in a storm.

And so with no small amount of trepidation and anxiety and a lot of hope, I started listening.

Part 1: The Shock

The first thing I hear is the Honourable Louis Farrakhan (a controversial figure) speaking. It's a rousing speech but gives no inkling about what type of music I can expect to hear. It cuts to Ghosts of Soulja Slim, in which, after the minister says: 

So, all you scared to death negros
Just sit down
Don't you come out to defend our enemy
You sit down and you shut up
And tell your master to come on out and deal with this

we hear the great Hov spit. That shock that Jay-Z is on the track and that we had no inkling he would be on it is beautiful, but then the shock gives way to the absolute certainty that he really is the greatest to every do it. His verse is all fire and knowledge and it’s a wonder. Then Electronica enters and starts with 

If it come from me and Hov, consider it Qur'an
If it come from any of those, consider it Harām
The minaret that Jigga built me on the Dome of the Roc
Was crafted, so beautifully, consider this Adhan
From a hard place and a rock to the Roc Nation of Islam
I emerged on the wave that Tidal made to drop bombs
I came to bang with the scholars
And I bet you a Rothschild I get a bang for my dollar
The synagogue of Satan want me to hang by my collar

which mentions his connection to the nation of Islam and his alleged affair with Kate Rothschild. The beat is so bass heavy that I'm immediately on my feet stomping and shouting along. The song sets the tone for the album and it doesn't let up till the last song. 

Then we enter The Blinding featuring Travis Scott and while not as chest pumping as Ghosts of Soulja Slim, it's pretty fucking good. Electronica is more vicious here and I'm here for it. He also acknowledges his own issues with not dropping an album all these years. 

Extra, extra, it's Mr. Headlines
Who signed every contract and missed the deadlines

We then move to The Neverending Story which sort of calms us down. It's some pretty clever wordplay with Elec saying:

I'm at war like the Dukes of Hazzard against the Bosses of the Hogs

The page turning is also a nice effect (I want to assume it's courtesy of The Alchemist) and I really like it. Jay-Z starts with saying:

I'm a miracle born with imperial features

and I can't say how many times I've said that to myself whenever I'm feeling out of sorts. The twinkling beat is just so fucking soothing and I love it so much. 

Shiny Suit Theory comes on next and it is the one song that I know inside out because it was released in 2009 or so. Either way, the song still hold up after all these years due in no small part to Jay-Z's conversation with his therapist. I mean when you hear: 

Went from warring to Warren, undercovers to covers
If you believe in that sort of luck, your screws need adjusting
In the world of no justice and black ladies on the back of buses
I'm the immaculate conception of rappers-slash-hustlers
My God, it's so hard to conceive
But it all falls perfect, I'm like autumn is to trees

and he closes with:

Since when did black men become kings?

I felt that in my soul.

Electronica is talking about the fact that he hasn't given us a tape and how many people had to him to drop one since. Well, he's certainly high above us all. Loved Tha-Dream's vocals on it.

Universal Soldier is another standout and we get Jay-Z lines such as 

I was trying not to end up like Tony in the restaurant

and 

That guilt trip ain't gon' work, don't put your luggage on we
You ain't keep the same energy for the du Pont's and Carnegie's
We was in your cotton fields, now we sittin' on Bs, on me

but the real standout is the intro at the beginning in which the pilots who dropped the first atomic bomb are mentioned. 

This is the gallant crew that rolled the big super fort
Which carried the first atomic bomb to Japan
Piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets Jr. of Miami
Carrying Navy Captain William Parsons of Chicago
Who helped design the bomb, as observer
And Major Thomas Ferebee of Mocksville, North Carolina
Who pulled the plug on Hiroshima
The B-29 dropped its load of atomic death
Which exploded with a force equal to 20,000 tons of TNT

I have seen Oppenheimer (a beast of magnificence), and I believe it's a shame it wasn't in the movie. The beat is something harsh with some dirty bass drops and I know I love it. ELEC sounds as if he is spitting from his soul. 

In fact this is the first song that he sounds energetic, and honestly I love it. In fact when he says

The true history of Jesus comin' to age
I wore a ski mask and glove to the masquerade
Uh, I got the Roc on my shoulder (It's the Roc)
Somebody should've told you, I'm a motherfuckin' universal soldier

and you couple that with the earlier Jay-Z lines, what you get is a song by two people at the top of their game, and it is a joy to hear.

Flux Capacitor is simply a fun song and I fuck with it. The beat gives us something to bump too and I love it. Nothing too extra to be honest. And when Jay-Z asks why he wouldn't have a watch like a Saudi Prince, you know it’s a valid question. I mean he does now, but that's beside the point.

Fruits of The Spirit is doing some heavy lifting wordplay wise, but the beat belies that. Elec drops some gems starting from 

It's all love, all Wimbledon with the pen, then
All I have in this world is my flag and my sword
I'm on a battlefield with the flag of my Lord

and

Like Vince Staples said, we just wadin' in the water
My people out in Flint still bathin' in the slaughter

and

Rise, young gods, all paths lead to Lazarus

This makes the first song that Jay-Z doesn't rap on and it makes sense considering the song it leads into.

With the first hint of the beat for Ezekiel's Wheel, you genuinely don't know what you're in for. It sounds like it's going to be something calm. Instead, what you get is a feat of sublimity and restrained beauty in rap. There is no wasted bar. Everything is in service to the greater point of the song, which after multiple listens seems to me to be about the unknowing-ness of life. I mean, the song starts with a heavily adjusted sample of Buchanan and Goodman's The Flying Saucer (which is just a bonkers song on its own). Consider the first stanza,

They say it was gon' never happen
But I survived Neverland like the Jacksons
You never swallow slanderous lies for the devil's satisfaction
I still got my glitter gloves
I still got my glitter socks
Now I'm Moonwalkin' on your couch with many zippers on my jacket (On my jacket)

in which he compares himself to, and somehow manages to exonerate Michael Jackson all in one fell swoop. Say whatever you want about Electronica, he is a loyal muthafucker and isn't subtle about what he is loyal to.

The line when he compares himself to Santiago from The Alchemist novel is divine

Sometimes I was held down by the gravity of my pen (Pen)
Sometimes I was held down by the gravity of my sin (Sin)
Sometimes, like Santiago, at crucial points of my novel
My only logical option was to transform into the wind

because it signifies how random life is or how we must let go of our material form. I didn't even know it was a reference to the novel The Alchemist till I hit Google. I learn a lot of shit from rap. The entirety of the second verse is him just flipping syllables and showcasing his skills and I fuck with it heavy

I ain't the type to let it slide or just ignore it
Whatever you want get into, my nigga, I'm here for it
I had a shot of D'Usse, now the Ace of Spades is pourin'
My vision's twenty-twenty and the feelin' is euphoric
If I'm not on my Harley then I'm on that Panigale
I'm smellin' like a Marley, doin' ninety on the on-ramp and my destiny is callin'
I represent New Orleans
My mama and my grandma and my hero uncle Charlie
I'm tryna catch a body
No, this is not a maybe, it is definitely probably
I'm gon' give you that wasabi
Look, it could be the dance floor or right in your building lobby
It could be in Lagos or Seattle or Chicag-y
Hotel lobby Grammy after party, it's what-avi
I'm down to catch a body
I drop a gear, I disappear, then re-appear
Then dump the clutch and wheelie down the highway
My debut album featurin' Hov, man, this is highway robbery
It's like I hit the lottery, I busted the piñat-y
Now I'm hot like a tamale, it's just like I caught a body
It will be pandemonium if I show up to the party
May all my haters hit they knees and throw up in the toilet
In the twinklin' of an eye I went from legend to historic
Catchin' bodies after bodies
You say my name like Candyman, I'll pop out of your closet and withdraw me a deposit
I'm loyal to Elijah just like Eric was to Godric
I'm tryna catch a body, no, no, I just caught a body
I will give you that wasabi and peel off on my Ducati (Skrrt)

The fact is that Jay-Z is on hype-man duties, but this does nothing to diminish his effect on the song though. I actually had to read the Bible passage (really the whole of Ezekiel chapter 1) in which Ezekiel's Wheel was actually mentioned, and it has only increased my love and respect for this song to be honest. This is my best song on the album and in reality one of the best songs Electronica has ever written. It's almost the quintessential Electronica song; say some profound shit, say some random shit but always sound deep, and this song has that in spades. It's fucking brilliant. Jay-Z says  

My time is right now (Right now)
I'm in the light now (Light now)
Talk to me nice (Nice)

and he's fucking right. 

The album closes with APIDTA (All Praise Is Due To Allah) and it’s the most introspective song on the tape and in all honesty it's a necessary song as it allows us to give context to everything about Electronica and extension Jay-Z and by extension, this album as a whole. It's a song that takes us full circle about Electronica and his mother and grandmother. I personally haven't experienced the death of a parent (but, I have lost my grandfather but I was pretty young so I know I'm not as close to him as I am currently with my grandmother), but I know I need to start saving voice notes of them because they are getting up there in age. This is the most relatable song on the album as it’s a reality we all have to live with eventually.

All in all, the fact that this album came to life is a miracle and I guess that's why it's called A Written Testimony. It's a testimony to his life as Exhibit C was his introduction to the world. The truth is that Electronica isn't the most technically brilliant rapper (though some might disagree), but he might be the most sublime and definitely sounds the wisest. He always sounds profound, and that in large part is what makes me constantly listen to him. The simple truth is that this album is a masterpiece. It's short, sweet and full of bars. No frills, no filler. It's what we needed. Is this a perfect Electronica album? No, and I think that is because I don't think this is the album Electronica had a vision of making. It sounds too conventionally structured for him. But, he is such a brilliant rapper that a conventional album from him is fucking miles ahead of a lot of work being put out there right now. This might not have been the album we wanted but it is definitely the album we needed to remind us that Electronica is a force to be reckoned with. And as a massive plus, it gave us some of Jay-Z's most energetic rapping in a while. 

Part 2: The Proof

I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when in October of 2020 (smack dab in the middle of COVID and lockdowns) word began to get out that his long lost album Act 2: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn) was going to be released. I was in complete and utter shock but then a clearer picture began to emerge. It can be read about here. I personally believe that he leaked it by himself, but that's fine and in all honesty I don't really care. I got the album. I was very very very hesitant to listen to the album because of the hype and buildup surrounding the album. Also I had heard about 4 songs from it already including Run and Hide, Better In Tune With the Infinite, Letter to Falon and Road to Perdition, so I was wondering what more does he want to tell me. I realise as I'm writing this that not listening was never an option, so it was just initial shakara. 

The album starts with Real Magic which begins with Ronald Reagan saying something about Winston Churchill. Elec's rapping is calm and soft; he's dropping bars but not hitting us over the head with anything. He's introducing us to himself properly. It's good and I like it. He's telling us to break through and free ourselves as it's magic. I believe him wholeheartedly. 

We then get to New Illuminati and the beat change is jarring but signifies he's here to spit some serious shit. It's not really serious but sounds like it. It also contains this line

One of the shortest passages in the King James version
Of the Bible we all know is, "Jesus Wept"
So like the Lord say, "I'ma make the song cry"
Him and 'Ye told you pussy niggas watch the throne, why?

which shows us just how long this album had been brewing. 

The next song is Patents of Nobility which is literally just an advert for a Dick Tracy Wrist Radio (some kind of radio watch???). It's weird as fuck but fits into the overall theme of the album. 

The next few songs form one of the best runs ever. We begin with Life on Mars which is a love song as only Electronica can envision it with statements like these

I'm grateful that a mustard seed of faith is enough to be
Enough to move a mountain

Going by the original title, I believe it's dedicated to Erykah Badu. 

It flows into Bonnie and Clyde featuring Serge Gainsbourg with some responses by Brigitte Bardot. I honestly don't understand what the song has to do with the rap but it sounds French as fuck (I'm not a big fan of the French). Electronica says 

We reign all year round from June to June
While niggas bite immediately if not soon
Peace to GZA, no beef with RZA

and

Just like I told you on Extra Extra
You fucking with a young black Professor Tesla

and we can see how he would have been influenced by these people he mentioned. As I believe I have mentioned, he is someone that doesn't hide who he is loyal to and also wears his influences on his sleeve.

We then flow into Dinner at Tiffany's featuring Charlotte Gainsbourg (Serge Gainsbourg's daughter). I say featuring but she sings the entire song by herself. I don't know if it's an original composition by her or not but it's so fuckin good. It sounds like something he heard and decided he had to have. 

Intro
Je voulais pas aller diner chez Tyffany's
Je voulais pas aller diner chez Tyffany's
Je voulais pas aller diner chez Tyffany's
Je voulais pas aller diner chez Tyffany's

Verse 1
Day awaits
I can hear
Never mind her
Never fear
Even if she
Reveals me
And all comes to an end
Take advantage
Tonight I'm your friend
If I ever
Forsake you
Forgive me
And pretend
Nothing matters
Your journey
Soon еnds

Chorus
Heaven, we find
Ovеrturned, out of line
Leaving all of your innocence
Dancing out of time
Lessons are learned
Out of line, overturned
Veer toward the renewal of
Everything we burn

It fits into his world on the album. This flows into Shiny Suit Theory, which is similar to the one on A Written Testimony, but sounds more dramatic at the beginning and the ending, mostly due to the album as a whole. 

We then have Memories and Merlot, one of the songs that doesn’t sound completely finished. I guess it could be, but something about it just feels off, and it kinda throws the album off for me at that point. 

But then we come to the center of the album, the beautifully named Better In Tune which features LaTonya Givens. 

This song is possibly the best thing he has written. It starts with Elijah Muhammad stating how a king can only become a king when he leaves his people and discovers himself. Like Batman. Like I want to believe Electronica did. Then we hear the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz telling Dorothy about his crystal ball and what it can do. It's clearly a crock of shit, but Dorothy believes him because he sells it well (I would suggest watching the entire movie - it holds up). And see, that’s the thing; we believe Electronica because he sells himself well, and he sells himself well, because he is better in tune with the infinite. The rap is set up like a stream of consciousness but it was clearly written and every single line is fucking beautiful, because he talks about essentially overcoming adversity but it's done in such a wise sounding manner that we are forced to consider everything twice.

It's frustratin' when you just can't express yourself
And it's hard to trust enough to undress yourself
To stand exposed and naked, in a world full of hatred
Where the sick thoughts of mankind control all the sacred
I pause, take a step back, record all the setbacks
Fast forward towards the stars and the jetpack
My feet might fail me, my heart might ail me
The synagogues of Satan might accuse or jail me
Strip, crown, nail me, brimstone hail me
They might defeat the flesh but they could never ever kill me
They might can feel the music but could never ever feel me
To the lawyers, to the sheriffs, to the judges
To the debt holders and the law makers
Fuck you, sue me, bill me
That name on that birth certificate, that ain't the real me
The lies can't conceal me
The sun rise and the moon tides and the sky's gon' reveal me
My brain pours water out my tear ducts to heal me
My Lord's too beneficent
The message grab a hold to every ear it get whispered in
The waters in the bayous of New Orleans still glistenin'
The universe is listenin', be careful what you say in it
My grandma told me every bed a nigga make, he lay in it
The church you go to pray in it, the work is on the outside
Staring out the windows is for love songs and house flies

LaToya Givens chorus just brings everything together and it rounds off what is unequivocally his best song. I previously called Ezekiel's Wheel almost the quintessential Electronica song; however, Better In Tune IS the quintessential Electronica song.

We then have Letter to Falon, which is a nice song. It's deep but nothing profound hits me. I like it but I won't mention it as one of his best. 

We get to Road to Perdition, which starts with Ronald Reagan saying 

"And they say if we'll only avoid any direct confrontation with the enemy, he'll forget his evil ways and learn to love us. All who oppose them are indicted as warmongers. They say we offer simple answers to complex problems. Well, perhaps there is a simple answer—not an easy answer—but simple"

Which is a motto I tend to apply to a lot of things. We are introduced to this chest thumping beat by DJ Khalil and just have Electronica spitting braggadocios lines like 

Hardcore Thriller pop, Michael Jackson, nigga rock

and 

A thousand kisses to the haters 'cause they made me greater
A thousand wishes from a million slaves could raise a savior
A thousand visits to these dickheads at these major labels
From Big Daddy Kane to Big Daddy Cain and Abel
You pay a cost to be a boss, nigga, I paid the wager (Let that bitch breathe)
Mastered both sides of the force and plus I made my sabre
Yes sir, I'm a soldier of love
Drowning all my sorrows and woes in the club
My white boys say, "that shit you spit last year, bro
Was like a real fine Merlot and a cashmere throw"
Some black chicks say he ugly, white women they love me
My Asians and my mamis don't put nothing above me
I call it as it happen, the art of quality rapping
One autobiographical chapter could start up the rapture
And even though I walk in the narrow valley of death
All I see is green pastures, bitches screaming from the rafters

Also, Jay-Z is performing hype-man duties and I love it. However, the last line is joyous on another fucking level and I am here for it to the glorious end.

The next 3 songs also seem unfinished to me. Welcome to Knightsbridge, Rough Love and Knights of the Roundtable, with Knights of the Roundtable literally having him humming in parts. They sound good but I cannot judge them based on what I hear and that in and of itself is a shame. Rough Love does have a comparison to Michael Jackson though. 

We get to Run and Hide featuring the Bullits. This song was what made me believe that Electonica was that nigga. The Bullits verse is extraordinary and Elec has a shorter than usual verse but is absolutely packed with wise sounding, knowledgeable sounding words and honestly I am here for it. In fact here's the whole verse:

Sentimental rain drops, the tears fall in increments
Like incremental pain drops, that wash away the stained spots
The western world is just a hive of scum and villainy
That's why superheroes wear disguises in trilogies
When the future is uncertain, and the wizard's just a man
Inside the booth behind the curtain, behaving like a serpent
With a bag full of everything except your home
Just remember, be yourself and accept your own
Or run and hide

We close with 10,000 Lotus Pearls which is just a wonderful instrumental. I have no idea if he meant to rap on it, but I am going to assume he didn't and believe that's how he wanted to end the album originally. And with that we come to the end.

Well, this album is truly the album I believe he wanted to make and this album makes a case for rap album of the decade. It's a meandering ride through his subconscious, and honestly we couldn't have asked for a better guide. At the end of the day, the reason he dropped both albums can be found in the ending of Better in Tune when he says 

Staring out the windows is for love songs and house flies

In the end he made it, because he had to and honestly that's a truly beautiful thing. In fact, my major gripe with the album, apart from the fact that it was never properly finished (oh what a joy that album would have been), is the fact that Exhibit C was not in it. I prefer to treat the song like it is a bonus track and always play it after 10,000 Lotus Pearls.

Some similarities are found in both albums such as his love and respect for Louis Farrakhan, Michael Jackson, Batman and his grandmother. His vehement dislike for the Church of Satan and I think white people. His absolute respect for Jay-Z and also Jay-Z's joy to be working with him too. Electronica is one of the best working (semi working?) today and these two albums show what he is capable of when he wants to; when he deigns to grace us with his presence and all we can, all we want to do is bask in the glory that is Jay Elec-Hanukkah, Jay Elec-Yarmulke, Jay Elect-Ramadan or just simply Jay Electronica.