After releasing two EPs and one album in 2021, D.C. rapper J Ru has released his most ambitious project yet, the 14-track autobiographical album XIV XXVIII — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Having faced depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia and self-image issues throughout his life, J Ru has used the gym and music as ways to overcome and transform a negative into a positive. XIV XXVIII finds J Ru’s vocals fully seasoned and surprisingly unique, with a lyrical flow worthy of multiple listens. The production and music are dense, soulful and immersive.
“Music has been a driving force throughout my entire life, right from the very start,” J Ru says. “It’s both core and vital to who I am as a person. It took forever and a half to put all the pieces together, but my latest release, XIV XXVIII, gives you insight into who I am as a person, and provides some life stories if you scratch beneath the surface. The project is also specifically designed for you to draft away, turn the volume up, and bob that head. The economy of words and infrastructure of them on the album, is something I’d like for you to pay special attention to as well. I hope you’ll take some time to go and listen to this day dreamer.”
J Ru is a 31-year-old rapper born and raised in Washington. Growing up with a father who was just as music-obsessed opened his eyes. “Writing was the tool that helped save my life,” he says. J Ru dropped three releases in 2021 — Top Shelf The Drinks, Top Shelf The Appetizers, Top Shelf The Dinner — before XIV XXVIII.
Listen to XIV XXVIII below and keep up with J Ru at his website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
