91. Single Review of Medicare by Jepz
Originally Published on February 12th,
About the Artist
This artist really resonated with me. If I am being honest, it’s not just because they’re talented. The moment I started digging into this track, I immediately heard a resemblance to a mainstream artist that I love, but the artist is tragically no longer with us (even though his label is still releasing his music). Jepz Is very much his own artist and he has his own unique sound, but I can’t listen to him and also not think of the late great, Mac Miller. Miller, an American rapper from Pennsylvania, passed away in 2018 at just 26 years of age. He didn’t leave this world, however, before leaving a legacy of music that would stay with his fans.
Jepz is a singer and rapper from Denmark. He seems to have that same special connection with music that Miller did. How do I describe it? The closest I can come is that he sings about depression in a way that makes it so beautiful. It’s not in a way that inspires depression. It’s in a way that reassures us that there is a way out.
He started releasing music last year, in 2024. In July, he debuted with the single Pour Sum. Blending singing and rapping, Pour Sum catches the ear in a variety of ways. I find myself drifting towards the rhythm then moving to the melody, going back and forth.
He would follow this release with August’s release of Make Me, a collaboration with his partner and (now) fellow Fifteen MInutes of Fame alumni, AiramFM. Jepz has such a connection with the flow of his music. He really embodies the concept that rhythm is more than a time signature. He is unafraid to experiment with the flow of the rhythm as it runs over his track.
Most recently, he released the single Good Day, arguably his strongest release to date. Releasing in mid November, this song is once again rhythmically attractive. There is an extraordinary progress in the production quality of his music in just a matter of months. He is really finding his sound in the layering of his vocals and incorporating instrumentals to that sound.
Jepz has technically been recording music since 2022, but made the decision to start the Jepz project last year and give that project a fresh start. He is currently focused on producing music and building a catalog of music. Eventually, we might see him performing his music live, but he wants to make sure it’s out there in the world first. His current releases are the three songs I’ve mentioned and the song we will be discussing today, Medicate
About the Song
Medicate is a hip hop/ R&B song that was released by Jepz on October 4th, 2024. It features a vocal performance by Jepz in front of a self-produced track of melodic and percussive instrumentation. It has a run time of a little over three minutes.
About the Music
Medicate opens with an acoustic guitar that is finger-picked and it almost has a Spanish sound to it, stylistically. After a short intro, the vocals come in, along with a very simple percussion and a lead acoustic part played over the looped rhythm part (still being arpeggiated).
Jepz is one of those artists who does not have a problem transitioning between rap or singing. Medicate features singing only, however. He doesn’t spend a lot of time focusing on complicating the vocal performance with too much ornamentation. His vocal performance is very silky and rich; he would most definitely be considered baritone to bass.
From a musical standpoint, Jepz checks all the boxes. The music doesn’t exactly stand out, but it’s not supposed to. Jepz is a lyricist and that’s where the extraordinary potential derives from. But even great lyricists will have trouble reaching an audience if their music is lacking or bad. That’s not the case with Jepz. He’s actually quite good vocally, as his performance proves. The production quality of the music is also put together nicely, providing an excellent accompaniment.
About the Lyrics
Lyrically, Jepz is a standout artist as it compares to many of the artists I’ve reviewed with Fifteen Minutes of Fame. Medicate is reminiscent of a Mac Miller song from his album, Circles, called I Can See. The two are very different but they’re executing a very similar purpose.
“Should I be switching to crime like some old buddies of mine? So what if I get some time. They say you’re free but are you really? Free in the society. Fuck all your propriety. Can keep up the sobriety. I need to calm anxiety and I’m tired of living on dimes. I just wanna be spittin’ some rhymes but these bars don’t pay the bills. Rarely do I get the thrills. So I’m searching for a sense of higher purpose like a priest, say prayers to the Lord then giving you a breach and the schools don’t teach necessary shit that you need to succeed man it’s all obsolete so I medicate.”
Medicate is a ballad that observes a common struggle amongst many of the societies that exist in the world today. As the world continues to suffer from an overwhelming oligarchy that continues to control global wealth. It’s to the point where most of the people in the world have to sacrifice the pursuit of passionate things for obligations to necessity. It’s bad enough that we sacrifice our passions for necessity, but once we make the sacrifice, the reward isn’t bountiful. It’s merely sustaining. For many, it’s hardly that or not at all. When we confront these issues, we are offered empty promises from politicians and executives who control the narrative, and at best, compromise just enough to shut us up. But nothing really changes. In fact, it is a constant that continues to become more and more unbalanced as the wealthiest people in the world get more and more wealthy every single day. There are 8.2 billion people in the world. Amongst them, there are 2,781 billionaires. That’s roughly 1 billionaire for every 3 million people in the global population. And they control 14.2 trillion dollars. That’s 20% of all the money in the world. Controlled by less than 3,000 people on a planet of over 8 billion.
I don’t know if Jepz was trying to go this far into it. He could have been trying to make the same point on a much simpler context. But, the point is, his song gets us thinking. Its reasons like this that we find excuses to drink, to smoke, to swallow pills, etc. We are all trying to find ways to jump off of the hamster wheel.
Final Thoughts
Jepz is an artist that has extraordinary potential. What is so special about him is that he is relatable to so many people. He creates music for the masses that is real and applicable to what we experience everyday, everywhere, all the time. He isn’t going to flaunt his style, his ability, or his performance. He isnt going to try to impress with flashiness, ornamental, or exotic distractions. He is going to be present in his performance and relatable to his audience.
It is here that I think Jepz could really catch on with an audience. He shouldn’t try to market himself as this supreme person on a pedestal that his audience should try to aspire to. He should market himself as one of the people. A voice in and of the masses, leading by example. He makes great music, it’s practically philosophical. If he continues to reach out to his audience in this manner, he will have a chance to really do something remarkable.
Medicate is available on all streaming platforms and you can also hear Jepz’s latest release, Good Day, streaming everywhere!
Wow! What a beautiful, thoughtful & thorough review of a beautiful song.
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