Joji was the first artist I began listening to in 2018, it was recommended to me by another black guy that wore glasses at a New Years Eve Party, his recommendation should be good as gold, he understood my vibe. Joji went on to define my musical tastes for the year with his commiserative resonance, belting out his pain in a way that felt creative, meaningful, somehow universal. His voice is darkly compassionate, the beats he makes himself are aesthetically pleasing and almost ethereal, to be honest Joji makes the music I want to hear in the way that Childish Gambino and XXXTentaction (R.I.P Jahseh) made their music. His work is genuine expression of self for the sake of virtuosity, that type of talent is one in a million, and it can be corrupted. Joji has since been apart of the Asian Rap Collective 88Rising (Missed their tour…) with the likes of Rich Brian and NIKI, who released a fairly good collaboration album, going off the songs of the three members I picked out. Joji had his fun making music with his friends, sticking to his passions, I just pray it continued.

I’m astounded to say that Joji delivers more of the same with Ballads 1, his 12 song strong tracklist is innovative, random, wistful and existential as hell! I’ll admit to simply being a weirdo that adores underground music that breaks against social norms, but each song plays like a labor of love that you can get lost in. Ballads are the way to my heart and what i’ve been craving from Joji, not only did he give exactly what I wanted, he signals that it’s only the first of many and I am here for it in force. A few songs get out of control but after a while you remember Joji is at the helm, and what sounds a bit chaotic, for example the track “Why Am I Still in LA”, eventually softenns to a comfort that keeps you on a cloud. The only thing I can say is that some songs will have moments of sounding cringe, which may be purposeful, it may have mired my first walkthrough but as it stands now I hardly remember it being the deal breaker I initially believed it to be.

“Ballads 1” isn’t telling a particular story as it does prescribe to it’s specific theme, one that’s hard to articulate, i’d say Love in relation to Heartbreak, be it before, during, or after. Four featured artist, mostly beat makers that contribute to the previously mentioned chaos, the standout among them being goth sad boy rapper Trippie Redd on their Duet, R.I.P. I typically dislike Trippie and dismiss him as an XXXTentacion caricature, only because X did it so much better, but well Trippie Redd tries his best, enhancing the song in some parts, while taking his screaming too far trying to hit notes that are way too high for him in others. He did good enough, any criticism falls on Trippie Redd and not Joji in this sense. R.I.P is still one of my favorites, it’s been added to “Unintentional Sex Jamz 4” and can be found in my list of Standout Songs below.

Standout Songs:

I’ll See You In 40: Starts of weird before bestowing upon you an undeniable groove.

R.I.P: Joji and Trippie Redd’s second collaboration will be sung in the shower.

Slow Dancing in the Dark: One of the early singles, hard to describe, just listen! Headphones, lower than usual volume…

This album isn’t a classic by any means, but as a stepping stone for an ever growing, evolving career, Joji has stayed true to himself, shown a positive work ethic, and hasn’t tried to please any crowd besides his expanding fan base of like minded individuals that appreciate his contributions. It’s more accessible to the average listener than it seems, and it’s a great intro to a peculiar discography of remarkable quality.

8/10.

All this praise and it’s not even his best work! I recommend watching the Music Video to Demons, search for his obscure Chole Burbank Vol. 1. Enjoy it as much as I do.