The solo artist JAKEWITHSPACES! has been building a reputation by rapping over production that feels like it’s constantly on the verge of collapsing. Working completely alone, he handles production, vocals, and even the artwork. If you’re into JPEGMAFIA’s controlled chaos or Flying Lotus’s left-field experiments, you’ll recognize the spirit. This is someone genuinely doing their own thing, imperfections and all.
“This is hip-hop for the chronically online and perpetually disconnected.”
“DOPEFUMEMIDI” feels like stumbling into a hidden corner of the internet at 3 AM, disorienting, a little weird, but impossible to click away from. The production is intentionally rough around the edges, with 808s that hit hard but are buried under layers of digital grime. Synths cut through the mix like broken glass one second, then melt into atmospheric noise the next
Beneath all the distortion and weirdness, there’s an actual groove. The drums still hit. The flows still work. JAKEWITHSPACES! knows the difference between being experimental and being unlistenable, and while this album definitely leans into the abrasive side of things, it never loses sight of what makes hip-hop compelling in the first place.
The whole project has this sci-fi basement vibe, like it was made in a bedroom studio surrounded by old keyboards and broken gear. It’s music about finding creativity in limitations. About making art with whatever tools you have, even if they’re not the “right” ones. DOPEFUMEMIDI won’t be everyone’s thing. If you need your hip-hop clean and structured, this probably isn’t for you. But if you want something that actually takes risks? This is worth your time. It’s messy, weird, and occasionally frustrating.
JAKEWITHSPACES! has made an album that exists outside the usual rules, and in doing so, has created one of the more interesting underground releases you’ll hear. This album is unpredictable in a way that keeps you engaged, even if it occasionally leaves you confused. Weird production choices that make more sense the more you listen. A method to the madness that reveals itself slowly.
Stop scrolling through the same tired playlists and give this a shot!
Muse Chronicle 
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