Jay Hunna

Like far too many African Americans living in the states, Jay Hunna has a close personal connection to an incident of misconduct by the police and the justice department that resulted in another unnecessary death. His cousin Sandra Bland was arrested for a traffic violation and three days later, she was dead. Hanged in her prison cell. With a trumped-up charge and a lack of proper procedure within the prison, Bland died and yet the sheriff and police department was never indicted although they did later settle a wrongful death suit for nearly $2 million.

With this tragic incident as fuel and inspiration, Jay Hunna has released Better Days. An album that switches between questions of morality and societal frustrations to aspirational tracks about coming up and finally making it. Hunna takes a sliver from the trap world, a big heap from '90s hip-hop and mixes in jazzy samples for a slick rap album for 2017.

The lead track 'Bad Guy' comes out swingin' with bright-city-lights synths and Hunna taking on his nefarious title with pride. The hook is tight and Hunna spits sick verses with style. “Another Level' fills in the spot of token weed tune. Laid back, after-hours beats lay under the sputtering trap triplets. 'No Hook' is possibly the sleeper hit of the album. Twinkling keys and far off crying sirens fill out the backbeat. Hunna finds his voice, weaving between a steady flow and breaks for some throwback sung lines. 'Good 'Ol Music' is straight-up nostalgia porn with a beat that sits right between Pac, Warren G, Bone-Thugs and HOVA himself. Hunna gives honest props to all his heroes.

Better Days is a tightly produced album that gives a lot of love to its influences. Hunna tells a story about making everything you can with your life cause you don't know how much time you have left. At the same time, you gotta have a good time while you're here.