Joell Ortiz and KXNG Crooked linked up once again to drop a brand new EP, JFKLAX. Moreover, the title references both MCs’ respective home cities, although that distance doesn’t reflect the quality of the music. In fact, both rappers are in top lyrical form on this project, which is unsurprising given their old-school credentials. Furthermore, you’ll find intricate rhyme patterns, cutting punchlines, and classic flows all over this short five-track offering. That length only adds to the project’s consistency and enjoyability, as they deliver focused verses.
Overall, JFKLAX is also a pretty effective combination of classic boom-bap beats and a more contemporary trap-style beat on the track “Foe Or Friend.” Still, most of this project’s instrumental pallet comes from its heavy sampling. These sonic backgrounds bring triumphant horns, dramatic piano chords, and deep, bassy percussion to elevate the frequent collaborators‘ performance. If you’ve ever liked an East Coast rapper, this project likely holds a captivating beat or collection of verses within.
KXNG Crooked & Joell Ortiz’s JFKLAX EP: Listen
However, not everyone received some of Crooked and Ortiz’s previous collabs well, particularly some of their colleagues. Furthermore, the other two members of their supergroup Slaughterhouse, Royce da 5’9″ and Joe Budden, expressed criticism of the duo’s 2022 project, Rise & Fall Of Slaughterhouse, which did not feature Royce or Budden. “For me, it was a little anticlimactic. It was like a rollercoaster. You watch it go up. It’s going up and it’s going up, and you expect the– and then you’re let down.” After all, they expected the album to be about them, but they didn’t find any such references.
Still, a lot of the group’s disagreements and internal fights are quite unfortunate considering the caliber of lyricism they represent. Regardless, what did you think of Joell Ortiz and KXNG Crooked’s latest collaborative EP, JFKLAX? However you feel, let us know in the comments and check out the tracklist below. Also, if you haven’t heard the project yet, you can find it on your preferred streaming service or on YouTube above. As always, stick around on HNHH for the latest great music releases each week.
Tracklist
1. Take Time
2. Dodgers
3. Foe Or Friend
4. Stay Dangerous (feat. Sly Pyper)
5. Blue Magic