Black Ben Carson
Black Ben Carson (stylized in all lowercase)[1] is the debut studio album by American rapper JPEGMafia. It was self-released on February 15, 2016.[1][2] The album was supported by the three singles "You Think You Know",[3] "I Smell Crack"[4] and "Digital Blackface".[5] Black Ben Carson was named after the only black 2016 presidential candidate Ben Carson, who was running Republican.[6]
| Black Ben Carson | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Standard digital and streaming cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 15, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2014–16 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 1:13:15 | |||
| Producer | ||||
| JPEGMafia chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album is split into two sides; Side A being "hip hop in its rawest form – loud, angry, political, and self-aware" and Side B with a more introspective, mellow and calm sound.[2]
The album was originally released with a different cover art in 2016, but was later (2020) removed and replaced with a new mix of the album, with many differences from the original, a shorter runtime (original release ran for 75 minutes) and all the instrumentals for each track, making the re-release 38 tracks and 146 minutes long. These instrumental tracks had unusual titles, like "bbc" for the "Black Ben Carson" instrumental, and "uncured bacon" for the "I Just Killed A Cop Now I'm Horny" instrumental. These titles were then replaced with "*song title* (Instrumental)" in January 2021 on all streaming platforms.
Black Ben Carson was named the best Baltimore album of 2016 by the Baltimore City Paper.[7]
On May 16, 2023, Black Ben Carson was re-released as Black Ben Carson (Deluxe) on streaming platforms, and reverting to the cover art used for the original release.
Track listing
All Tracks Are Produced by JPEGMafia.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Drake Era" | 3:57 |
| 2. | "All Caps No Spaces" | 4:06 |
| 3. | "Digital Blackface" | 3:43 |
| 4. | "Cuck" | 2:48 |
| 5. | "I Smell Crack" | 2:23 |
| 6. | "You Think You Know" | 3:23 |
| 7. | "Motor Mouth" | 4:26 |
| 8. | "Black Ben Carson" | 4:02 |
| 9. | "Black Steve Austin" | 2:18 |
| 10. | "Black Stacey Dash" | 2:52 |
| 11. | "What's Crackin'" | 4:58 |
| 12. | "I Just Killed a Cop Now I'm Horny" | 5:53 |
| 13. | "Plastic" | 3:04 |
| 14. | "Boi" (featuring Butch Dawson) | 4:29 |
| 15. | "The 27 Club" | 3:56 |
| 16. | "Face Down Ass Up" (featuring Bito Sureiya, Kente of Nasa8, and Freaky) | 4:29 |
| 17. | "This That Shit Kid Cudi Coulda Been" (featuring Toyomansi) | 4:07 |
| 18. | "2015 Was a Great Year" | 2:50 |
| 19. | "Try Me" | 4:55 |
| Total length: | 1:13:15 | |
Notes
- On streaming platforms, "Cuck" is stylized in all caps.
- On streaming platforms, "Black Steve Austin" has glass shattering for its intro.
- On Bandcamp, all song titles stylized in lowercase, except "All Caps No Spaces", stylized in all caps.
Notes
References
- "JPEGMAFIA – Black Ben Carson". Bandcamp. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- Kramer, Kyle (15 February 2016). "JPEGMAFIA's New Album 'Black Ben Carson' Is Going to Heal, Inspire, and Revive America". Vice. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- Weigel, Brandon (7 December 2015). "JPEGMAFIA releases video for 'You Think You Know'". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- JPEGMAFIA - I Smell Crack [Music Video]. JPEGMAFIA. 3 February 2016. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023 – via YouTube.
- JPEGMAFIA - Digital Blackface. JPEGMAFIA. 15 February 2016. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2023 – via YouTube.
- Gillespie, Blake (2016). "JPEGMAFIA, Black Ben Carson (Interview)". Impose Magazine. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- "Top Ten Baltimore Albums of 2016". Baltimore Sun. 21 December 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- "INTERVIEW: AFROPUNK contributor Lightning Pill virtually sits down with rapper/producer/beatmaker JPEGMAFIA". Afropunk. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- "Devon Hendryx - The Rockwood Escape Plan". Bandcamp. Retrieved 8 January 2021.