Rapper Junglepussy is re-adjusting her eternal crown while she continues to put fuck boys in their place on her new album, Jp4. Junglepussy is infamous for using the bars and her music as a means to reclaim her power and express the self-love she has cultivated as a result of past lovers not treating her with the respect she deserves.
Junglepussy embodies the grim-reaper on each track, shovel in hand ready to bury past disappointments in love as she munches on player’s hearts with each bar she spits. We also see Junglepussy sonically stepping out of her comfort zone. The beats that encompass Jp4 showcase pop and techno influences, while other tracks are much more eerie and spooky.
The track “Main Attraction” is an example of Junglepussy incorporating more pop elements – singing on the hook about how dissatisfied she is about the type of men she seems to be repeatedly attracting. She starts questioning as to whether her star qualities and her being in the public eye may be causing this player like energy to gravitate towards her like a magnet.
Junglepussy is also addressing this notion of her wanting a break and no longer identifying with the party lifestyle that artists often must inhabit. She sings on the hook, “I want somebody who don’t like nobody. I want somebody who don’t like to party. Sit in the crib and sip Atari. Sit in the kitchen, and whip up a salad. Sick of these n***** they say I’m attractin’. They wanna chill with the main attraction.”
Junglepussy is in full acceptance mode throughout the album, making space for herself and validating her own emotions. She allows herself to feel the undesirable emotions that come up, while also not letting those moments consume her – making her love and self-worth imperishable.
On the track “Morning Rock,” she reveals how her personal growth throughout the years has made her inner-strength as solid and immensely forceful as a rock. In this track, Junglepussy is able to see how her own identity and self-image was becoming too easily warped and bent by how others were treating and responding to her.
Although Junglepussy throughout her entire discography has prioritized this idea that it’s not only okay to call people out on their hurtful actions, but oftentimes necessary – it’s still so exhausting and draining to constantly feel as though you have to keep reiterating your boundaries and expectations for the relationship.
She raps, “ If I let you get away with the mess that you made. What a waste. Why I gotta smile so you comfy? I gotta hate me for you to love me. I gotta teach you how to love me. I gotta keep sellin the fantasy.”
Junglepussy makes another reference to this idea of people falling in love solely with her image, or what she can offer to them rather than who she genuinely is as a person. She is tired of being the teacher of love, tired of constantly having to feel as though she must sacrifice her happiness and authenticity to not leave others egos too bruised.
“Arugula” is such a standout track on the album for many reasons. This is one of the rare tracks in which Junglepussy brings her vulnerability and past heartbreak to the surface. Instead of being in warrior mode, having to defend, protect, and shield her sense of self to others – we see her fully letting down her walls, letting us into her deeply sensitive side.
The instrumentation on “Arugula” is also very distinct, consumed with melancholy horns. Junglepussy’s lyricism and approach to this track are so parallel to the rest of the album. Her flow is much more slow, as her lyrics take on a poetic nature. She spits each word with emphasis and fragility.
She raps, “My love long like a Tangerine Dream song. Meet me on the ocean floor that’s where i been going. Don’t play me low-key on ya ukulele. Cause me pain, call me crazy, then call me your lady, of course. I wasn’t gassed not at all, nah you never claimed me.”
Here, Junglepussy puts down her sword and shovel for the time being, her defensives wiped away. The fact is whether or not you know exactly who you are, or how much better you deserve to be treated – people who move in a way whose actions towards you contradicts how you view yourself will always hurt deeply.
This is a prominent theme in Junglepussy’s music, but we have usually seen her approach it in a more light-hearted, self-empowering energy. “Arugula” is opening up another side for fans to see of Junglepussy, perhaps the side of herself that was the stepping stone to her becoming the powerhouse she is today. I hope to see Junglepussy honor and explore more of that raw emotion that she let take center stage on “Arugula.”
Junglepussy ends the album with the slur of words from haters and ex’s echoing back to her, as she shuts and shoves them down immediately. She remains un-phased, stating she no longer needs, “No Band Aid.” Jp4 illuminates just how much Junglepussy has mastered the art of healing.
