An album that metaphorically uses the inner workings of a camera to explore the darker sides of oneself, APERTURE by San Fransisco rapper Jthurston arrives at a time when thoughtful hip hop seems to be increasingly getting highlighted. Each song takes listeners on an introspective journey, with Jthurston taking inspiration from Carl Jung’s philosophy of the shadow – – ‘shadow’ represents those aspects of our personality that we sometimes refuse to acknowledge.
We tend to do whatever we can to conceal past trauma, fear, doubt, ego or truth. One way or another though, we soon find ourselves in situations where we have to confront these less-than-ideal parts of ourselves. That’s what Jthurston set out to achieve with this album. Musically, he switches things up constantly throughout the 11-track LP, exemplifying great versatility.
The artist even ventures into dance-pop territory with the song “Safe” which features singer Jorden Kyle. Jordan’s R&B-inflected vocals come alive on this track. “Halo Effect” and “Cutthroat” lean towards boombap hip hop, a space where the rapper feels quite at home — the songs are so catchy too. With “Eventually”, Jthurston provides us with a soundtrack for laidback introspection, the song’s chill, jazzy vibe feeling totally intoxicating.
Rapper Dregs One is featured on “I Told You So”, a catchy streets anthem with that Bay Area flavour. “Intuition” is another standout from the album. Interestingly, the closing track is also the title track. With its insane beat switch, “Aperture” is quite captivating.
Jthurston remains a notable figure in the Bay Area scene. His blend of personal experiences with vivid storytelling have helped him build a dedicated fanbase, each fan drawn to the heavy lyricism and hard-hitting beats. APERTURE showcases all that, plus more.
The album is out via the artist’s label KNGSZN. Listen to it below via Spotify below and check out Jthurston on Instagram.
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