All Business, No Luv by J.R.Clark

There’s more to Virginia then rolling hills, colonial plantations, and boiled peanuts — there’s a burgeoning hip-hop scene that’s already produced some of hip-hop’s most creative minds, from Pharrell to Missy Elliott. Emerging to stake his claim to belonging in conversation with these minds is J.R.Clark — a word-bending, straight-edged lyricist who finds power in punch-worthy storytelling.

Born Jerry Clark-Juneau, J.R.Clark began as a studio engineer who served four years in the U.S. Army. After realising that his calling was to be in front of the microphone, not behind the screen manipulating the sounds of other artists, J.R.Clark hopped into the game as an independent artist. The words, styles, and cadences of artists like Rick Ross, J. Cole, Curren$y, and Nipsey Hussle served as inspiration for the way that he’d paint his lyrical canvas.

Since dropping his debut EP in 2015, J.R.Clark has continuously upped his game with hard-hitting lyricism, a commanding sense of self, and chest-pressing punchlines — each hitting harder with each release. In this sense, his latest drop, All Business, No Luv is his magnum opus. It’s a testament to the hard-fought journey that he’s been through, but also a well-varied mix of styles that showcase best-in-class confidence in exciting ways we’ve never seen before.

On album centerpiece ‘INDEPENDENT FLEX’, J.R.Clark packs on the confidence with wealth-claiming bars that don’t rely on gross-out comparisons or tired cliches to sell you his larger-than-life lifestyle. The thumping beat is his soundtrack to crunch the beat to pieces with vivid imagery that transports you directly into his shoes.

‘WINNERS CIRCLE’, with show-stopping guest features from Jett9 and J. Ave, takes things in a different direction — providing cautionary tales about the fake, for instance, and giving a blueprint for how listeners can live life like him. It has a smooth, easy-on-the-ears feel that keeps you running it back — time and time again.

All Business, No Luv is stuffed with these glimpses into J.R.Clark’s splintered psyche. He’s not just about the money, or the cautionary tales. There are real stories tucked in beneath the punchlines and vivid explanations of his reality. Listening to the project gives you a chance to explore what makes him tick. It’s easy to listen to, and recommend because it sounds as smooth as you’d imagine.

J.R.Clark may be dressed to the nines in fancy clothes on the cover — but the LP shows you that there’s more to him than that. It’s a project that is the perfect taste of his world, and a calling card for anyone who wants to hear polished rap in an exciting form and function.