Since his last project titled Tits 'n Explosions (seriously), Nocando has been gaining more attention than ever, and Jimmy the Burnout should keep the momentum rolling. There's obvious artist growth, but there's one consistent that make the album work: comedy. It's been Nocando's selling point since day one, and he showcases his strong punchlines and wit right off the bat on "Little Green Monsters." You can hardly tell by the beat, though. The initial minimalism verges on horror-core, but the multiple layers show influences from across the map, making for an album and career highlight. The album's biggest achievement, though, (for me at least) is that Jimmy the Burnout actually contains two skits from comedians Jermaine Fowler and Eric Andre that made me laugh out loud, something that hasn't happened in years.
Still, that can be found in every Nocando project. The real reason that Jimmy the Burnout is the mans best project is the natural mixture of maturity and the previously mentioned humor. He touches on relationships and his role in the rap game, but the confidence he brings to the mic makes his character nearly impenetrable, as you'd be hard pressed to find a single line classified as corny. One of the album's singles, "Never Looked Better" contains the repeated line "you never looked better/ until the day I saw you hanging off another nigga's arm", showing no second thoughts on dwelling on his own faults, while he asks for forgiveness towards his girlfriend on "Too Much To Ask." The thing is, its never feels like he's pouring his heart out and it's never a task listening to his complaints. Nocando tries to reconcile with said partner, but his tone contains such a coolness that it feels as though he is in the right and in full control of the situation. The dude is relatable as well. Whether he's talking about being overworked by filling in shifts for his cousin on "3rd World Hustle" or his ode to being outcasted on the Open Mike Eagle assisted "Hellfyre Anthem" (which, oddly enough, is the sole Hellfyre collaboration) he's going to relate with the everyday listener. And if I haven't gotten my point across yet, he's never corny. That's a huge bonus.
Nocando's voice will sound great on anything, and his ability to work with a beat is one of a kind, but his attempts to branch off onto a laid back track with R&B hook is ultimately where Jimmy the Burnout meets problems. Nothing on here is outright bad, but his attempts to deal with a newfound audience are significantly less memorable the the rest of the album. The laid back "Any Day Now" only slows the albums momentum, and while the trap heavy "Grown Man Work" is an interesting cut, it still comes off as generic. Like I said, though, Nocando can work with anything, so it's no shock that the albums standouts feature the most eccentric production. Songs like "Little Green Monsters" (sorry to keep referencing it, but it's really fucking good) are going to help Nocando separate himself from the rest of Hellfyre, and rap as a whole for that matter, and while its only perfected a couple times on Jimmy the Burnout, it's not out of question that he will be releasing Album of the Year material in the near future.
Jimmy the Burnout isn't accessible, but in comparison to the Hellfyre Club members catalogs, its a step in the right direction if their ultimate goal is to expand to a wider audience. Nocando showcases his varying erratic flows throughout, most of which being very impressive, and makes it very difficult to categorize Nocando with any other group of rappers. His second studio album can be enjoyed on surface level, but deeper and more interactive listens will prove to be more rewarding. If we are in fact going through a second hip hop Golden-Age (I'm not buying it, but its the word on the street as of late, so I'll roll with it), the former Scribble Jam champion fits in perfectly.
Rating: 3.5/5