J-Classic’s Going by “The Jordan Rules” on His Born Day (EP Review)

J-Classic is a 36 year old MC from Ypsilanti, Michigan who I first met in 2018 after Middle Finger Music put out their inaugural release with Aztek the Barfly’s 3rd album Line King & was even signed to the prominent Detroit underground label for a brief period of time. We’ve heard him on multiple features up until this point & is celebrating his born day by putting out his debut EP, which is ultimately the 1st time ever solo project in his discography if I’m not mistaken & one that’s been a very long time coming.

“Somewhere” begins with a slowed-down vocal sample talking about beating the game in the hardest setting or difficulty whereas “6 Rings” compares himself to the greatest basketball player of all-time Michael Jordan. “Ragnarok” produced by Foul Mouth refers to an important event in Norse mythology while “Baba Yaga” with Tru Klassick talks about the prominent figure in Slavic folklore. “Pinball Pete’s” shows off Game 7 intensity fusing jazz & trap until the title track finishes by keeping a 12 with no name on it.

I used to tell people to keep an eye out for J-Classic for several years & The Jordan Rules finally gives the underground a sense of why I’ve been co-signing him for so long. Its production explores a myriad of sounds including boom bap, jazz rap, trap & use of samples refraining from having any guests joining him so he can hold the bars down by himself carrying his own weight through these versatile musical backdrops the way I imagined he would’ve.

Score: 8/10

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