Review: Jazz Cortier - Marauding in Paradise
By Xavier Veccia, Managing Editor
[Self-released; 2015]
Rating: 4/5
Key tracks: “New Religion,” “Rose Quartz/Like Crazy,” “Switch”
At first, it’s a bit surprising to hear that Jazz Cartier spent four years working on Marauding in Paradise. Most trap albums take less than a year to make. Even solid artists like OG Maco and Rome Fortune seem to have a new release every other week. But all it takes is one viewing of Cartier’s “New Religion” music video to understand that there’s more to the Toronto emcee than “just another trap artist.”
For the first 30 seconds or so, the man who goes by “Jacuzzi La Fleur” can only be seen in the distance, rapping and waving his arms to the words he wrote. When we finally get a close-up, it still takes a second for Cartier to look into the camera. It’s a pretty simple cinematic trick, but something about the drama of it all is fascinating. For the rest of the video you’re left caring about what these trap-like howls and wails mean. What’s crazier is that you don’t even know why, you just know that something special is going on here.
It’s that tenacity that comes with every verse Cartier delivers that earns comparisons to the likes of A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott and Young Thug. However, the more you listen to Marauding in Paradise, the more it becomes clear why the album took so long--La Fleur was so busy trying to carve out his own niche. Sure, there are bits and pieces of his game that make those comparisons come easy, but there’s no other trapper that puts as much thought or purpose into their music as Cartier.
The dual song “Rose Quartz/Like Crazy” is a good example of this. “Rose Quartz” draws its name from the Toro y Moi song of the same name that Cartier raps over. First off, find another rapper spitting over “Rose Quartz.” Secondly, Cartier’s flow is insane. As he takes seemingly random pauses and pronounces words in a unique manner, one can’t help but get drawn in. Finally, it’s hard to find an artist so involved in the trap scene that shows this much raw emotion.
“Like Crazy” dips into more of this. The two verses serve as the dual bookends of a relationship, and Cartier proves how good of an actor he is by doing so, going from crazy in love to crazy ex. And his long-time producer Michael Lantz does a good job of providing a beat that’s both complementary and contradictory of “Rose Quartz.”
“Switch” is another fantastic song that showcases Cartier’s skill. The track is more traditional trap, as Cartier simply talks about his loyalty to his boys while squawking and screeching with the best of them. But the grimey beat gives Cartier a different stage to perform on. While Toronto rap is typically more approachable, “Switch” is an acquired taste. But La Fleur’s thematics are addicting enough to make one want to learn to love the Toronto MC’s intense sound.
It’s hard not to go back to “New Religion,” though. The single might be the song of the year so far, as Cartier focuses on money, religion and depression. There’s a lot of typical trap tropes, but Cartier never quite becomes a cliche. The grit and grime is new for Toronto while the talent and approach Cartier takes is new to trap. He’s his own man and that is clear on every track. The only worry that comes with this breakthrough album is not if there’s more to come, but how long it’ll take. I can’t wait four more years.
