Lil Nothin’ by Jymmy Kafka & Rilla Force
Jymmy Kafka’s Lil Nothin’ is as nostalgic as it is prophetic. The project is an examination of his roots and a palpable blueprint of the future. Throughout the 8 tracks, Rilla Force’s beats shape-shift, skating the rails between jazz, ambient R&B, and bass-heavy hip-hop. Rilla’s singular production provides a perfect backdrop for Kafka’s encyclopedic lyricism and laid-back flow. With the added bonus of features from Maka Oceania and Billy Dean Thomas, Kafka is razor-sharp and Rilla is a force to be reckoned with. The result of their collaboration is a personal odyssey with an unstoppable sound.
The opening track “35A” is a tribute to Kafka’s old neighborhood and apartment where he grew up. “35A” is where he began learning how to skateboard with his brother Davone, perfecting ollies in their bedroom on a shared board in the middle of winter. “Believe it or not, at the time skateboarding was not as hip and trendy as it is now” Kafka said in a recent Instagram post, “By some people in our neighborhood, it was seen as ‘white boy shit’ and outside of our neighborhood, we were outliers by being the only Black skaters.” At the time, Kafka explained, Black representation in skateboarding was hard to find. He would later go on to be sponsored by Ski Market Underground and eventually Eastern Boarder, where he was afforded a safe space to hone his skills and grow into the skater he is today.
The Framingham-native raps about the backhanded racism he and his friends experienced on the track: “They label us fragile and delicate but to whom are they selling it? Amazed that we sound so intelligent, we were raised with the etiquette. 35A was the residence, I was raised in a tenement, the apartments were Pelham, the street was the second, I swear I won’t ever forget it. Don’t forget where you came from.” Kafka didn’t forget, eventually going on to take over the lease of 35a, where he began hosting a weekly Rap Night. This led to his first collaboration with Rilla Force, who recently produced Kafka’s EP Still There.
Each collaboration between Rilla Force and Jymmy Kafka is sonic synchronicity. They create a sound so precise that it could only come from artists who grew up together. This is evident throughout the album, but especially on the title-track, which is arguably the project’s hardest moment. Lil Nothin’ features booming 808s, eerily ear-piercing synths, and electronic drums layered over acoustic drums. Rilla’s beat feels as apocalyptic as the song’s hook; “Looking up and seeing hell coming. Still running. Lil Nothin’.”
Photo Courtesy of Jymmy Kafka
Kafka raps about his family in “Occam’s Razor,” where electric piano samples twist and turn behind his lightning-fast introspection: “Davone’s little brother, Jacqueline’s my mother. We just had each other, two bedroom apartment that we used to live in; waking up to reggaeton blaring out of the loudest civics.” Kafka reflects on growing up and aims his energy towards the future: “I’m just plotting on a hundred G’s, my family living comfortably.” On Instagram, Kafka talked about the challenges and triumphs of growing up with a single working mother; “My mom used to get up at 4am to deliver newspapers before she went to work to provide for us. She’s the strongest, most amazing woman… we wouldn’t be the same if anything about our upbringing was different.”
Throughout Lil Nothin’s fleeting 20 minutes, Kafka is well-aware of the power of his words. On the closer, he contemplates “crisis mixed with indecisiveness” rapping that the “search to find the right-sized bottle in which the lightning fits” is “just as therapeutic as it’s frightening.” It sounds like he’s captured the lightning effortlessly. Lil Nothin’ is a lesson in poetry and philosophy and the professor is Kafka. Track 2, “Blood,” opens with a quote from comedic legend Dave Chappelle that is unequivocally Jymmy Kafka-esque: “I’m one of those people that’s so smart that I’m uncomfortable in this world.”
Stream Lil Nothin’ via Bandcamp below, or on the streaming platform of your choice.