John Wells - The Apprehension of John Wells (Album)
Circling social media for new music, I came across Baltimore native John Wells by way of his Twitter page that showcased a single off his December project “The Apprehension of John Wells.” I loved what I heard so far in the brief clip posted and needed to be able to quench my hip-hop thirst, so I decided to go searching around where I found his latest album and was brought to a steady halt on how enjoyable the release was and how personable John was on the project that had me unprepared before entering. Still, I’m glad it did since the surprise had me beyond excited.
“The best day could be the worst day if you let it be”
No words have ever been truer; it’s the wise advice that John Wells obtained from his father which makes a start to his intro record “The Fent.” As we often come across an album like this, we understand the introduction allows the artist to vent out before expelling more of his blessing throughout the album. John doesn’t hold back in explaining the doubts that convolute his mind while also mentioning the relinquishment he’s not ready to take. It’s one of the many personable tracks we’ll get from John Wells throughout the project and already has us shaking with anticipation to walk more into his psyche. “Grape” is another record where John seeks peace, but it’s still not clicking for him; he’s not used to unloading the weight off his shoulder but instead bearing with it. If the cover didn’t explain it already, then the records will; John is grieving over the loss of his father and is spilling his emotion over the production. The loss is tough for him since he’s seen his father make dramatic sacrifices to provide for him by giving John a better life. Crossing certain bridges to make ends meet, John’s father knew the wicked lifestyle there was in the world and kept John away as much as possible while dealing with his own predicaments. The soulfulness of the sample couldn’t hold back the tears from falling, and while it doesn’t have to be in the physical sense, we understand the meaning of John wearing his heart on his sleeve throughout the album. “Y’all Some Whores” is a prestigious record; I love his lyrical essence on how he disguised Baltimore in his wordplay so cunning while putting on for his beloved city. He explains more in deep thought of essential his home means to him, and he throws in some more personal moments of his life before bringing the record to a conclusion. He never shies away when explaining that the demons his father faced were never on the surface, he bottled the hardship so John wouldn’t see those days, but sometimes they seeped in. John Wells's pedigree to go across the bounds of storytelling his trauma in this album is so personal; he continues to share more of his memories in records like “Out Essex,” “Spot A Rat,” & “No Drugs In Heaven” where he dashingly moves the needle on the tempo in each track but still unloads a lot of his hurt in rapping formation feeling some comfort in expressing the best way he knows how. I think it was the outro record “Tropicana” that introduced me to John Wells, and from there on, the rest was history. Another soulful produce joint with John spilling his soul on wax, it’s probably the most powerful of the ten and the vital ingredient to close out the album with some level of peace. We understand people have different ways of coping, John Wells might have found one here with his music, or he may be searching still.
The immaculate nature of an artist, being so skilled with talent and wearing his emotions on his sleeve, makes him genuine. I highly recommend that our viewership check out this album and stay tuned in to John Wells since he’s already becoming one of my new favorite artists of 2023, and I’m sure more is aligned to continue keeping that description valid.