Seattle’s Nacho Picasso and Portland’s Televangel have emerged with an exceptional Pacific Northwest Hip Hop collaborative album. Jesse’s Revenge is titled after and features artwork inspired by the cult classic blaxploitation film J.D.’s Revenge. The film tells the tale of a notorious New Orleans gangster who is murdered by police. His spirit is given an opportunity to rest and revenge decades later when a chance encounter allows him to possess the mind and body of a college student. The story serves as a loose blueprint for Nacho Picasso and Televangel to build this album around, with Jesse Robinson AKA Nacho Picasso putting himself in J.D.'s place during the project.
Nacho Picasso is operating as an MC at peak levels on Jesse’s Revenge. Someone who has spent years working at their craft and perfecting it is one thing, but there’s an extra gear when they manage to perfect their version of the craft, their style. Nacho Picasso’s delivery is laid back and nimble, he manages to infuse much depth and meaning into his irreverent rhymes without jamming in a ton of words and syllables. The hooks are infections and the imagery is vivid as he draws you into his darkly humorous observations and self reflection. His comical vibe is on full display on “Mazzy Star,”:
“Pimps used to wear gators now they wear Crocs, I wish white kids would go back to Birkenstocks / So I can get some fucking Jordans while they still in stock / Don’t mean to shit on Birkenstocks, they was cool with socks”
By combining infectious rhyme schemes and even some singing, Nacho manages to make Jesse’s Revenge engaging through the entire 14 songs. Televangel is the other star on this project. The Portland producer has been building a significant body of work by entirely producing projects for the likes of Milc, AJ Suede, and Child Actor. What he's done for Jesse’s Revenge puts it among the best produced albums of 2024. Again, there are 14 songs on here and nothing sounds the same, but they all feel like they belong together. It’s a soulful, funky, smoked out vibe, that engulfs the listener with a layer of warmth, comfort, and confidence like your favorite jacket.
On “Do It For Johnny,” Televangel’s magic is on full display. A soulful sample, xylophone, trumpets, and a muddy baseline all combine on one of the album’s strongest offerings, and that’s just song number two. All the tracks are equally layered and expressive. This is a project you’ll be compelled to play all the way through every time you listen to it, it sounds that good!
Jesse’s Revenge is a standout effort for 2024 check it out and make sure you put Nacho Picasso and Televangel on your radar going forward!
Standout tracks include: "Do It For Johnny," "Still Ballin’," "The Old Nacho," "I Can Still Smoke," and "Ryuichi Sakamoto."
"Still Ballin'" (IG Exclusive Visual)
Released: July 12, 2024
Word by Monk
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