After months of leadup, J.K. The Reaper's long-awaited Digital Tears hit DSPs last night. The rapper began his career in Greensboro, North Caroline, where his Fang Life crew often intersected with Denzel Curry's C9 collective. Over the years, J.K. has kept those bonds strong while developing his own distinct sound—Digital Tears is his latest and most confident artistic statement, a raw, brooding collection of songs that often veer away from rap and towards straight punk rock on tracks like "Drunk/Drowning."
But the album also finds J.K. in his feels, turning over tender new leaves on the Twelve'len collab "Dead 2 Me" and "Children." We're still taking it all in, but Digital Tears already sounds like a big leap forward for J.K. the Reaper. It's a political record, it's autobiographical, and it asks some tough questions about the future. Listen below, then revisit his 2016 SXSW with Denzel.
