The record contains all the loosies, singles and teasers that were drip-fed over the decade, as well as most of the promised features – and that’s no mean feat. Even more surprising is how closely the project resembles its original tracklist, issued via a tweet eight years ago and almost immediately scrubbed from the feed. A Written Testimony was forecast, recorded and released, but all the while, Act II remained a mystery.Īll this is to say, this came as something of a surprise. At one point, he responded to Just Blaze’s claim of completion by publicly threatening deletion. He suggested Chris Brown would be on the single, claimed Control, his infamous collaboration with Kendrick and Big Sean, was intended for the project and shot off a few dates that came and went without so much as a word. Elec claimed it would chase Jay-Z’s Magna Carta, Holy Grail. The eight years that followed were much of the same. A tracklist tease in July 2012 was the first piece of solid proof that something – anything at all – was out there. In May 2012, collaborator and label head Jay-Z told MTV that Elec “operates at his own time, but the album is really close.” Few emcees could stoke a cult following like Electronica’s, but fewer still could measure up to his pen, one which seemed to burst from obscurity with all the poise and power of a well-heeled veteran. On the one hand, this was a year-and-a-half on from his initial date, but on the other, fans figured it was the good news they’d been waiting for. In March of 2011, a ‘making of’ clip showed Jay working on Better In Tune With The Infinite in South Africa, and four months later, the Roc’s newest name declared his debut complete. That record felt like the unfurling of a red carpet, complete with the luxe instrumentals and legendary cosigns that bode well for his considerable hype. He signed to Roc Nation in November, still without a debut, and dropped the celebratory Jay-Z collaboration Shiny Suit Theory. In 2010, Jay Elec announced a September release, once again fuelling speculation. It’s worth recapping just how this all happened, seeing as an entirely new generation – of which I’m a part – are now receiving one of yesteryear’s most anticipated albums.Īct II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn) was first announced for Christmas 2009, but with only a few days' warning, it certainly seemed a little optimistic. In the space of seven months, Jay Electronica went from infamously recordless to dropping two debuts. He put the record on Tidal the next night, ending 12 years of anticipation with little more than a few keystrokes.
ZIP files spread like wildfire and Jay, though initially resistant, seemed to soften under a deluge of praise, love and well-wishes. Then, earlier this month, a group of Discord fanatics coordinated a record-breaking group buy – $9000, all in all – and passed the leak onto the people.
Mixed as the reception was, the arrival of A Written Testimony seemed to close the book on Act II, a concept record that never quite crossed into reality. In January, when Elec announced an entirely new debut record, it seemed another instance of ‘the emcee who cried release date,’ but when he followed through in March, fans were both stunned and divided. It became an enduring mystery: why would the emcee behind Act I and Exhibit C refuse his seat at the table?Īnswers were as elusive as the second act itself… at least until 2020 rolled around. Intrigue became indifference excitement became exasperation, and after a few years, even the most devoted fans worried that Jay Elec might never make good on his word. In a twist befitting a year such as 2020, hip-hop enigma Jay Electronica has finally delivered the second act of his mythical magic-themed trilogy.Ī shining beacon in the blog era, Electronica’s infamous issues with Act II – originally intended as his debut record – bucked his fast-moving hype train from the tracks.
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