(Photo By Eustace)
One of our favorite California natives Jetpack Jones, is back with the final chapter in his Afterburners series. Afterburners 4: Retro$pect is described as an Afro-Futuristic Rap project set in the 4th dimension of sound. What is a pro and a con with Jetpack is that he sticks to what he knows. Meaning his style, flow, and delivery are the same. Which is great because who doesn’t love great stoner music. However, some fans might get turned off by the repetitiveness of production and rhymes. But that’s not why we flock to Jetpack. We flock to Jetpack because after hours of slaving away at work, he brings us a soundtrack to mellow out to.
Afterburners 4: Retro$pect is 18 tracks of what I dub Midnight Rider music. If you don’t know, Midnight Rider music is music that you listen to in the car between 12am -5am, when you’re just cruising the city. Afterburners 4 does a great job of obtaining this identity. “Hard to Stay Cool” is the perfect example. It’s mid-tempo pace and vibe brings the listener in and the hook just makes you dance in your seat. Moving on to “No End in Sight (#BlackLivesMatter),” it could’ve been better. I like the song because of the production, but the message could’ve been stronger. With the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, Jetpack Jones should’ve went for broke instead of playing it safe. It seems Jetpack dug back into his vinyls to use The Delfonics’s “La La (Means I Love You)” for “Love’s Meaning.” “Love’s Meaning” is really dope. It’s where Jetpack thrives at, a laid back flow over a 70s sample. “Cheeze” is by far my favorite track. “Cheeze” is one of the songs that we all flock to Jetpack for. It’s that song that stays on repeat but you don’t even realize it’s on repeat.
Jetpack Jones isn’t coming for the super lyrical crown. He just wants to give you soundtracks to play so that you can mellow out. Jetpack knows his position in this game and he plays it well. Afterburners 4: Retro$pect is for the vibers, smokers, and Midnight Riders (pretty sure I said this about his previous feature too). Afterburners 4 is for those who respect all aspects of hip-hop. Jetpack Jones is a dope artist who is comfortable in his lane. So do yourself a favor and play this album when you leave work on Monday. You are going to need it. -Pooh Bailey
