Jeremiah Jae Returns as Daffi, Shares the Dark, Twisted "Payne"

Experimental rapper and producer Jeremiah Jae has maintained a career on the forefront of his genre both sonically and lyrically. After releasing dense, mind-altering albums for both Warp Records and Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder imprint, he's back with a self-released LP meant to showcase the darker side of his multifaceted musical personas, a side he has crowned Daffi.

Daffi is darker Jae for sure, if the first single "Payne" is any indiction. "The gritty open spaced instrumental provides the canvas to a new sonic portrait of Jae," he says. "Payne is my grandmother's maiden name and I became inspired by the multiple meanings of the name. There's the Payne that's apart of my history, and the other pain that's ingrained in the history of oppressed people through generations. Both give fuel to Daffi's existence."

The LP's first single comes with a stunning and timely video—premiering above on Noisey—shot by Jae himself and directed and animated by the UK's incredible director Ruffmercy, who's previous work includes innovative videos for Run The Jewels, Pusha T, Danny Brown, and more. With "Payne," Ruffmercy's visual style matches perfectly with Jae's gritty aesthetic and metaphysical political consciousness. Jae had taken a break from formal releases as he worked on his own happiness, and now has reemerged to let the "Payne" take a hold of him.

Justin Staple is a producer for Noisey and VICE. Follow him on Twitter.