J Ru, a rapper from Washington DC, released an autobiographical new album “XIV XXVIII,” or 14 28, on the last day of 2021. The 14-track album starts off semi-promising with an apt title “The Opener.” Throughout the album, J Ru sounds like an Eminem impersonator with a slightly deeper voice. Although, what lacks in his delivery is made up for with his bars and production. Songs like “Undiscovered,” “Scars,” and “Lost Ties” are what backpack hip-hop heads’ dreams are made of.
The standout track is “Scars” though as J Ru combines the best of all three and adds an important message. “I used to hide like I’m stashing / Now I wear it like fashion / I embrace like we’re mashing / But it’s hard to feel that way when you’re constantly crashing / Bang your head against the mirror like what the f*ck,” he rhymes before he later declares that the “scars ain’t forever.”
“Music has been a driving force throughout my entire life, right from the very start. It’s both core and vital to who I am as a person,” says J Ru who also “faced depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia and self-image issues throughout his life.” He continues: “It took forever and a half to put all the pieces together, but my latest release, XIV XXVIII, gives you insight into who I am as a person, and provides some life stories if you scratch beneath the surface. The project is also specifically designed for you to draft away, turn the volume up, and bob that head. The economy of words and infrastructure of them on the album, is something I’d like for you to pay special attention to as well. I hope you’ll take some time to go and listen to this day dreamer.”
Listen the album below.
