"Hazard Duty Pay!" is a song by American rapper JPEGMafia from his fourth studio album, LP! (2021). The song was first released on YouTube alongside a music video on October 1, 2021, but was not officially released due to sample clearance issues. It was included on the "offline" version of LP!, released on October 22, 2021. On February 24, 2022, the song was released to streaming services as a part of JPEGMafia's Offline! extended play, which featured the unreleased tracks from the "offline" version of LP!. "Hazard Duty Pay!" was released as the only single from Offline! on the same day.
| "Hazard Duty Pay!" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by JPEGMafia | ||||
| from the album LP! | ||||
| Released | February 24, 2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:37 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Barrington Hendricks | |||
| Producer(s) | JPEGMafia | |||
| JPEGMafia singles chronology | ||||
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"Hazard Duty Pay!" was released to critical acclaim, with some naming it as the best song from LP!, as well as one of JPEGMafia's best songs.
Background and release
editFollowing his 2019 album All My Heroes Are Cornballs, JPEGMafia set out to create a "swan song" for his final release with EQT and Republic Records. Described as similar to American R&B artist Frank Ocean's 2016 releases of Endless and Blonde, this album, titled LP! would be a double album. It would contain an "online" version, released to streaming services and an "offline" version, released to YouTube and Bandcamp. The "offline" version would feature songs with uncleared samples.[1] On October 1, the song was released on YouTube alongside a music video.[2] The song was released with the "offline" version of LP! on YouTube and Bandcamp,[3] before releasing on streaming services on February 24, 2022.[4][5]
Composition
edit"Hazard Duty Pay!" features a prominent sample of "Ain't No Need to Worry" by Anita Baker and The Winans.[6] The vocals from the sample are chopped up and underlined with drums.[6][7]
Reception
edit"Hazard Duty Pay!" received acclaim from critics, who praised the production and sample-flip, as well as JPEGMafia's performance.
In a review from Flood Magazine, Margaret Farrell praised the gospel sample vocal chops and the song's "woozy bass melody". She also praised JPEGMafia's creative energy, lamenting its exclusion from streaming services, stating that it was a "shame because it’s really fucking good."[6] Writing for Pitchfork, Dylan Green called "Hazard Duty Pay!" one of the best moments of JPEGMafia's career.[4]
References
edit- ^ Louis, Nate (February 21, 2022). "JPEGMafia Absolutely Does Not Feel Fulfilled". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ Kenneally, Cerys (October 6, 2021). "JPEGMafia shares new track "Hazard Duty Pay!"". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ Slingerland, Calum (October 19, 2021). "JPEGMafia's New Album Has "Online" and "Offline" Versions". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Green, Dylan (October 28, 2021). "JPEGMafia: LP!". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ Maucione, Anthony (March 12, 2022). "Sample clearance puts JPEGMafia's Offline! on streaming services". The Gonzaga Bulletin. Archived from the original on September 12, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c Farrell, Margaret (October 1, 2021). "JPEGMafia Turns Vegans Into Spinach on "Hazard Duty Pay!"". Flood Magazine. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (October 1, 2021). "JPEGMafia – "Hazard Duty Pay!"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2023.