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All JPEGMafia Albums Ranked Best to Worst (2026)

JPEGMafia has released six solo studio albums, and this page ranks all six, from Black Ben Carson (2016) to Experimental Rap (2026). Scaring the Hoes, his 2023 collaborative album with Danny Brown, is not included, and neither are his EPs (EP!, EP2!, The 2nd Amendment with Freaky and We Live in a Society with Flume), his early mixtapes, or the tapes he released as Devon Hendryx.

JPEGMafia6 albums7 min readUpdated October 2026Experimental Hip-Hop

Quick Take

Consensus PeakVeteranNoise, satire and samples in perfect balanceCritics' Top ScoreAll My Heroes Are CornballsThe top Metacritic score here, sung and glitchyMost UnderratedLP!His most polished production, split in two

Why it ranks here

Veteran is where JPEGMafia's sound clicked. Recorded mostly in Baltimore, it was cut down from around 120 songs to 19, and it lurches from blown-out noise to woozy, half-sung beats while he takes aim at the alt-right, internet culture and the music press. "Baby I'm Bleeding" and "1539 N. Calvert" are standouts, and "DD Form 214" shares its name with the US military discharge form, fitting for an Air Force veteran. Pitchfork called it a remarkable exercise in sound and texture and later ranked it No. 171 among the best albums of the 2010s.

Context

Released January 19, 2018, recorded in Baltimore and mixed after his move to Los Angeles in 2017.

Highlights

  • 1539 N. Calvert
  • Thug Tears
  • Baby I'm Bleeding
  • Rock N Roll Is Dead
  • DD Form 214

Weak Spots

  • Some of the internet references have dated
  • The abrasive mixes can be exhausting in one sitting

Production

JPEGMafia

Influence

Landed on year-end lists from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and Spin, and made him a central figure in experimental rap.

Replay Value

Very high — new details every listen.

Why it ranks here

All My Heroes Are Cornballs keeps Veteran's collage approach but leans into melody, with JPEGMafia singing as much as rapping over glitchy R&B and ambient textures. Songs stop and restart without warning, which some critics found frustrating and others thrilling. "Kenan vs. Kel", "Beta Male Strategies" and "Free the Frail" with Helena Deland are among his best work, and several reviewers called it an improvement on Veteran. It averaged 85 on Metacritic, the best score among these albums.

Context

Released September 13, 2019 on EQT, recorded in his home studio, with JPEGMafia handling production, mixing and mastering and Vegyn co-producing.

Highlights

  • Kenan vs. Kel
  • Beta Male Strategies
  • Grimy Waifu
  • Rap Grow Old & Die x No Child Left Behind
  • Free the Frail

Weak Spots

  • The constant switches can feel like a stitched-together mixtape
  • Less immediate than Veteran

Production

JPEGMafia · Vegyn

Influence

Debuted at No. 105 on the Billboard 200, his first chart entry, and appeared on many 2019 year-end lists.

Replay Value

Very high — it keeps rewarding repeat listens.

Why it ranks here

His first album after Scaring the Hoes mixes industrial noise, rap rock, boom bap and metal, and it is the most physically loud record he has made. "I Scream This in the Mirror Before I Interact with Anyone" opens at full volume, "Sin Miedo" and "Don't Rely On Other Men" are as catchy as anything in his catalog, and Vince Staples and Denzel Curry drop in. Critics praised the production and sampling but were divided on the lyrics, and it averaged 78 on Metacritic. The Guardian ranked it the second-best album of 2024.

Context

Released August 1, 2024 through AWAL; an expanded Director's Cut with fourteen extra tracks followed on February 3, 2025.

Highlights

  • I Scream This in the Mirror Before I Interact with Anyone
  • Sin Miedo
  • Don't Rely On Other Men
  • Vulgar Display of Power
  • New Black History

Weak Spots

  • Lyrics divided critics
  • The Director's Cut reshuffle muddied what the definitive version is

Production

JPEGMafia · Kenny Beats · Flume · DJ RaMeMes (O Destruidor do Funk)

Influence

Charted at No. 102 on the Billboard 200 and placed high on 2024 year-end lists, including No. 3 at Time.

Replay Value

High — the singles are his most replayable.

Why it ranks here

LP! arrived on his 32nd birthday in two forms: an "online" version for streaming services and an "offline" version first posted on YouTube, SoundCloud and Bandcamp with a slightly different tracklist because of sample-clearance issues. It is his most polished work as a producer, with bright, sample-heavy beats and guests including Kimbra and Tkay Maidza, and "Trust!" and "Hazard Duty Pay!" are highlights. The split release makes it feel less like one statement than his best albums. It averaged 82 on Metacritic.

Context

Released October 22, 2021 as his final album with Republic Records and EQT Recordings.

Highlights

  • Trust!
  • End Credits!
  • Hazard Duty Pay!
  • Rebound!
  • The Ghost of Ranking Dread!

Weak Spots

  • Two versions dilute the sequencing
  • Fewer surprises than the first two highs

Production

JPEGMafia · Buzzy Lee

Influence

Closed out his major-label period; his next solo album came out independently through AWAL.

Replay Value

High — the beats reward close listening.

Why it ranks here

His debut album is named after Ben Carson, the only Black candidate from either major party in the 2016 presidential race, and it is split into a loud, angry, political first side and a more introspective, mellow second side. The ideas that define his later work are all here — noise, satire, sudden beat switches — but at more than 72 minutes it is badly overstuffed, and the lo-fi mixes lack the control of Veteran. "Digital Blackface" and "You Think You Know" show where he was heading.

Context

Self-released February 15, 2016, after the mixtapes Communist Slow Jams and Darkskin Manson.

Highlights

  • Digital Blackface
  • You Think You Know
  • Motor Mouth
  • Black Ben Carson
  • Plastic

Weak Spots

  • Far too long
  • Rough mixes bury some of the best ideas

Production

JPEGMafia

Influence

Built his early underground following and laid the template for Veteran.

Replay Value

Moderate — best in pieces.

Why it ranks here

Experimental Rap packs 25 tracks into 53 minutes, most of them under three minutes, with Billy Ray Schlag credited alongside JPEGMafia as a producer. The energy is relentless and "Babygirl" and "War Over Land" hit hard, but critics found the flows and ideas repetitive for an album with this title. NME described it as a scattergun onslaught, and Pitchfork gave it 5.5.

Context

Announced April 29, 2026 and released through AWAL on May 21, 2026, followed by a North American tour in September and October.

Highlights

  • Babygirl
  • $ (Money)
  • Tsar Bomba
  • War Over Land
  • ¥ (Yen)

Weak Spots

  • Repetitive flows across 25 tracks
  • Few ideas get room to develop

Production

JPEGMafia · Billy Ray Schlag

Influence

Too recent to judge; its mixed reception contrasts with the acclaim of his earlier albums.

Replay Value

Moderate — fun in short bursts.

Essay

The Complete Picture

JPEGMafia's catalog peaked early and has stayed remarkably strong. Veteran is the breakthrough, a noisy, funny and furious record that still sounds like nothing else; All My Heroes Are Cornballs is softer and stranger and almost as good; LP! and I Lay Down My Life for You refine the sound with cleaner mixes and bigger guests. Black Ben Carson is a raw, overlong first draft, and Experimental Rap is fun but repetitive.

Start with Veteran, then All My Heroes Are Cornballs. If you like the producer side of him most, go to LP!; for the loudest version, I Lay Down My Life for You.

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JPEGMafia Albums in Order

  1. 2016Black Ben CarsonRanked #5
  2. 2018VeteranRanked #1
  3. 2019All My Heroes Are CornballsRanked #2
  4. 2021LP!Ranked #4
  5. 2024I Lay Down My Life for YouRanked #3
  6. 2026Experimental RapRanked #6

JPEGMafia Albums: Common Questions

What is the best JPEGMafia album?
We rank Veteran (2018) as the best JPEGMafia album, with a score of 8.7/10: Noisy, hilarious and furious: the breakthrough that still shocks.
How many JPEGMafia albums are ranked here?
This ranking covers 6 JPEGMafia projects, released between 2016 and 2026.
What is the earliest JPEGMafia album in this ranking?
Black Ben Carson (2016) is the earliest release in this list. We rank it #5.
What is the most recent JPEGMafia album in this ranking?
Experimental Rap (2026) is the most recent release in this list. We rank it #6.
Which JPEGMafia album is ranked lowest?
Experimental Rap (2026) sits at #6 with a score of 6.4/10.