Following four albums and appearances on several tracks, NYC rapper and producer JoeJas recently dropped his latest album Left Hand Bandit, released March 30. The album is an experimental yet grounded body of work that represents his goal of creating spaces for unorthodox and “weird” music.

The opening track “A Bandit’s Intro” starts the album off strong, with a unique exposition that presents the albums overall theme. JoeJas wastes no time demonstrating his distinctive sound of energetic rhythms, smooth flow, and smart lyrics. Similarly to his previous albums, Left Hand Bandit embraces experimentation and blurs together different genres like Hip-Hop, Jazz, R&B, and Rock.

The introduction song takes us right into the track “A Bandit’s Intro”, which fills space with its heavy harmonic synth padding, and satisfying percussion groove. “RUN?!” Is more fast paced, with syncopation that matches the feeling of the title.

The lyrics of the album tell the story of the character “The Left Handed Bandit” and his run from the law, blended with JoeJas real life experiences. The middle tracks “Last 108 Ride”, “Off Kilter”, and “Push Slow” deliver upbeat grooves and describe the actions of “the bandit” that keep the story moving along, while maintaining a level of transparency and blend of reality. “WTF” is one of the more energetic and dynamic tracks, with many rhythmic shifts between the first verse and final chorus.

The last two tracks “Planet’s Masked Appearance” and “WiiiZARD POOLS” bring a more relaxed and chilled vibe, as the album starts to cool-down. “WiiiZARD POOLS” speeding up tempo wise and rising in energy for the majority of the song, to fall back and soften out for the last sixteen seconds.

In short, Left Handed Bandit is a release worth checking out, particularly for those interested in the Alt Hip-Hop and Rap genres. JoeJas’s passion and hardwork are shown clearly through this album, with him having handled the production process, video shooting, editing, creative direction, and design. With this fifth album, JoeJas brings a unique concept to life and challenges the status quo of rap music.

Key Tracks: Left Hearted Bandit, RUN?!, WTF