A Jawn Supreme (Vol. 2)

by Small professor

Listen On: Spotify - Apple Music - Bandcamp

For the second volume in his stunning A Jawn Supreme series, Philadelphia’s own Small Professor proves yet again that he’s one of the hardest-working, and also most talented, producers in the game today.

Just like with Vol. 1, the second volume demonstrates the breadth of his skills as he provides remixed and remastered versions of tracks from his various Jawn projects over the years. In doing so, he puts all of these instrumentals into an entirely new context, with Vol. 2 feeling like a sincere ode to the Golden Era.

Free from pretension or pandering, the 12 tracks on this release bridge the decades-long gap between the beginnings of boom bap and modern hip-hop. Standouts like “only built for stuck in the nineties,” “INTJ,” and “no sleep” clearly pay homage to the early days of sample flips and break loops, but the difference is in the execution. Small Pro makes familiar sounds his own, such as the Minnie Ripperton flip on “no sleep,” by manipulating them in ways we’ve never heard before.

But the heart of A Jawn Supreme (Vol. 2) resides in its fourth cut, the somber but hopeful “one for phife.” Named for the legendary emcee the world lost far too soon, the song is a beautiful testament to the inspiration that Small Pro felt from the late rapper.

“Phife’s approach to his craft of ‘If I don't say that I'm the best, tell me who the hell will?’ continues to inspire me and many others to this day,” the producer says.

You can hear that inspiration for yourself now with the release of Vol. 2, which follows the already-available A Jawn Supreme (Vol. 1) on major DSPs. The third and final volume is due out Oct 16. Plus, on Cassette Store Day, which this year is Oct. 17, you can buy all three installments on a single cassette. It's all being released through Small Pro's Beat Goliath imprint via Coalmine Records, which previously worked in partnership on projects like his Highway Robbery collaboration with Guilty Simpson, and 2019's acclaimed 86 Witness LP with the late Sean Price.