RJMrLA Stays True to His West Coast Roots on His New Album “On God”
Since 2013, RJMrLA has been on the fringe of the LA rap scene that birthed artists like Kendrick Lamar, YG, Nipsey Hussle, and many many others. The Los Angeles spitter has flirted with stardom multiple times without ever being able to smash through the wall of mediocracy to capture a smash hit. Due to his reputation in LA, his personal relationships with artists like Mustard, Ty Dolla $ign, and YG, and his innate ability to rap, RJMrLA has maintained relevance in Los Angeles for years. With a string of impressive singles, 2019 is starting to look like the year RJ might finally break out of The City Of Angels and infect the rest of the country with his cool SoCal swagger.
The rollout for RJ’s new album On God began in early June with the single “Apartment”, his first release since his 2017 Mustard collab, The Ghetto. Two weeks later he followed up the release with his smooth single “Rat Race”. With his momentum at an all-time high, the LA artist dropped the Young Thug assisted single “Time” which was received warmly and secured some major playlist placements.
On August 9th, 2019, RJMrLA independently released his album On God. The 20-track album runs for just under an hour and boasts features from Young Thug, ScHoolboy Q, Snoop Dogg, Rich The Kid, and many other A-List artists.
The album opens with an anecdote from RJ where he explains that the phrase “On God” can basically be defined as a step up from the truth. After the first 20 seconds of this album it’s obvious that unquestionable authenticity is a clear theme that RJ wants to portray on this new album. The LA rapper introduces himself on the intro (which hosts the same name as the album) by giving new fans a glimpse into his life and his personal philosophy.
“On One” is the third song on the album and is undeniably smooth and entertaining. The hook is infectious and gives us our first look at RJ’s dangerously contagious defiance as he continuously repeats “I jumped out the bed on one.” ScHoolboy Q continues his hot streak on this track providing us with an excellent collab that I had no idea I even wanted.
No momentum from “On One” is lost as the album quickly flows into the lead single, “Time”, which features Young Thug. “Time” fits perfectly into RJ’s discography with a DJ Swish instrumental that screams West Coast and one of his classic melodic hooks. The chorus in this song is equal parts motivational and honest as RJ raps about how he has no time to waste because he is a visionary, hard worker, and a man of action. This lack of time isn’t all good though, as he lets it be known that it hinders his relationship with his family even though they are the ones he’s working for. I couldn’t help but think of Jamie (Ghost) St. Patrick from Star’s TV show Power when listening to this conflicting hook.
The sixth song on the project is called “Rat Race” and was the second pre-release from On God. “Rat Race” is one of the slickest songs I’ve heard in 2019 and is soaked in suave swagger. This song could make me feel like a big baller when I have eleven dollars in my bank account and that’s all you can ever ask of a track.
The next six songs are all good, but seem to blend together. There are clever quotables scattered throughout all six tracks but at the end of the day, I find them ultimately forgettable.
The album picks back up with one of it’s strongest tracks, “No Face, No Case”. RJ snaps on the first verse and showcases some of the best rapping we’ve ever heard from him. The song is a badass story about RJ hitting licks and getting away with them. There is something so satisfying about hearing the west coast rapper yell at agents over the phone and tell them to “call my laywerrrrrr.”
One of the albums greatest strengths is it’s genius sequencing and the transition from “No Face, No Case” to “Randel Cunningham” is one of the best examples. Where “No Face, No Case” is about hitting the lick and getting away with it, “Randel Cunningham” is about the rest of his years ducking cops and how his criminal record only adds to his ability to pull girls. While I think Rich The Kid sounds somewhat out of place on On God, he delivers a solid verse and I wouldn’t be surprised if his presence on this track grows on me.
“Randel Cunningham” is followed by every weekend’s anthem “Friday Night”. Ty Dolla $ign pulls through for excellent feature (like always) and makes cut this undeniably fun and sexy.
The album concludes with the inspirational “Growing”. The track features a soothing lo-fi sax that was present on the song that preceded it. On “Growing” RJMrLA reminds us that there is nothing as rewarding as being able to point to clear examples of personal growth and self improvement. I get chills when RJ repeats “I’m slowly reaching the heights that these niggas expected from me” on the hook. It’s a common misconception to believe that popping rappers got lucky with a catchy hit and are now living lives of luxury. Fans often forget that emcees like RJ have been honing their craft in the rap game for nearly ten years, fully expecting to receive the acclaim that they know they deserve. “Growing” is a refreshing perspective and an excellent outro.
It’s clear that On God is far from RJMrLA’s first rodeo. He masterfully crafted this album with a clear message and used intentional sequencing and storytelling to hit the mark. Every track perfectly flows into the next making On God flow better than almost any other album I’ve heard this year. Along with the excellent flow of the project, every song is sonically similar leading to the creation of a mini-universe inside this project that can only be described as RJ’s LA. The entire album definitely falls into a common mood making this the perfect album to loop in your car during a day of errands or a relaxed night out.
While the cohesion of this project makes it an incredibly smooth listen, it also puts a ceiling atop the album’s potential. RJ’s lack of deviations and risks makes this album incredibly safe thus eliminating any chance of this being a classic record for anyone. With this being said, I think RJ’s decision to keep the entire album in one mood was a good creative choice and added more than it took away from On God.
Although his name might not carry the same weight as some of his heavy-hitting peers like YG and Ty Dolla $ign, RJMrLA is an essential piece to the Los Angeles rap renaissance and On God is potentially his best work to date. The project is unified, entertaining, groovy, and substance-rich. RJ’s pen game is as sharp as ever giving us many memorable verses and quotable bars. Mr. LA gets the best out of all of his high-level features leaving us with some bangers that hopefully outlive the summer. On God is a very good album and should be bumped by everyone whether or not you reside in The Golden State.
Favorite Tracks:
On One (Feat. ScHoolboy Q)
Time (Feat. Young Thug)
Rat Race
Rating: 7.5
Listen to On God here:
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