Live Report: JPEGMAFIA brings experimental rap to the 3Olympia Theatre

Experimental rapper JPEGMAFIA took over the 3Olympia Theatre on Thursday, giving fans a night they won’t soon forget.

Also known as Barrington DeVaughn Hendricks, or Peggy, the artist took the stage at exactly 8:30. Despite having no opener, the audience was already ballistic by the time his set began. Adorned in a black leather trench coat (fully buttoned), a cowboy hat, an open face balaclava, fingerless gloves, camouflage pants and thick combat boots, his dress exuded an air of mystery that commanded your attention.

“He’s a fucking legend man,” one fan remarked.

Shrouded in billowing clouds of fog and bathed in red light, all Peggy did was reveal his face for the crowd to burst into chants. Spitting on the stage confidently, he addressed the excited audience.

“My name is JPEG-motherfucking-MAFIA, and I came here to you, today, to do a few songs if that’s okay,” he said.

As soon as his backing track started, the audience began to churn. Lost in a sea of sweat and body odor, I watched some fans plug their ears and hold their noses. By the first song, a growing mosh pit was already set in motion.

‘SIN MIEDO,’ a track off his latest album I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, marked a clear turning point in the show. The crowd went absolutely wild, bursting with movement. Strobing lights added to the confusion, but immediately heightened the fun.

“Light Man, turn those lights off,” Peggy said a few songs into the set. “I need you guys to do me a favor.”

He requested that the crowd open up the pit even more, and I was instantly met with aggressive fans shoving, pulling and forcing a large circle to form. The space was so large, one even did a backflip before the next song began.

JPEGMAFIA at 3Olympia Theatre Dublin. Copyright Jason Doherty.

Peggy’s music blends hip-hop with abstract electronic influences. His dynamic flow never wavered, dancing wonderfully above an always heavy bass. A stand-out track of the night, ‘Exmilitary,’ displayed his unique style well. It began as a relatively standard rap song, but descended into a dreamscape of distorted sound. Despite being cramped alongside the rest of the audience, I truly felt in a world of my own.

Another stand-out track, ‘Baby I’m Bleeding’ of 2018 album Veteran, leaned even deeper into the experimental. Sampling an audio clip from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the disjointed structure and harsh sound felt refreshing and new.

"[I] walk around everywhere as me," he bellowed, performing his song 'JPEGULTRA!'.

At one point, he requested that fans flip him off and chant, “Fuck you Peggy!”, which everyone was happy to do. When the rapper began throwing water bottles into the audience, I watched those around me shamelessly beg for the opportunity to hold something he had touched himself.

Near the end of the show, Peggy crouched down to sign a few vinyls from fans.

“Thank y’all once again,” he said before leaving the stage. “My name is JPEG-motherfucking-MAFIA. And I love y'all man, stay safe. Peace.”

Effortlessly cool and unapologetically himself, JPEGMAFIA’s sold-out show was nothing short of a blowout.