Ghetto Cupid

Ghetto Cupid is the debut studio album by American rapper Jaydes, released on August 29, 2023, through 10K Projects. The album was recorded between 2022 and 2023, after Dumont had started working on new material for a new project, it was supported by two singles: "Undercover" and "Kesha K". Consisting of seventeen tracks and a duration of around thirty-two minutes, it was entirely produced by Jaydes, who was accompanied by multiple other record producers.

Ghetto Cupid is a hip-hop record with a mix of elements featured in the genres pop and rock. The album was written by Dumont after the release of his third extended play, Heartpacing (2022), and centers on self-destructive behavior in relationships and the pursuit of a self-destructive partner. Upon release, Ghetto Cupid received acclaim from music critics, who praised the confidence of the lyrics and the music's enjoyability.

Dumont would release his third extended play (EP) Heartpacing (2022),^[1] which would start to gain traction online.^[2] He began to work on his debut studio album following a string of single releases. Originally titled Magenta, the album's concept and cover were changed because he no longer felt connected to the original vision, he revealed in an interview with Our Generation Music.^[3] Jaydes released the album's first single, "Undercover", on January 21, 2023. A plugg song, Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre would discuss the "exasperated" lip flap.^[1] The second and final single "Kesha K" would release on April 13, 2023. Ghetto Cupid contains 17 tracks,^[1] while the production was handled by Jaydes himself and a handful of producers, also marking Jaydes' switch to making music using guitars.^[4] Ghetto Cupid was preceded by the singles "Undercover" and "Kesha K", both initially released on SoundCloud.

Music journalists have described Ghetto Cupid as a plugg and shoegaze release.^[1] Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre felt that he is a decent writer, discussing that his songs were mostly about mood.^[1] He also felt that the "Brief bits add texture to the melodrama: from the exasperated lip flap at the beginning of 'Undercover', to the spammed producer tag—'you have no heart'—on 'Horror'."^[1]

Alphonse Pierre writing for Pitchfork gave the album a score of 7.5 out of 10, explaining that the project pulls together disparate strands, from plugg to shoegaze and emo; going further into detail, he stated that the album is "messy, but [it] works more often than not",^[1] also comparing it to the likes of My Bloody Valentine and Lucki.^[5] Pierre commented that while the "hodgepodge should be corny", it’s not, "because he’s just so earnest about it all".^[5] He stated that Jaydes layers "soft," "lovelorn" melodies over a wide range of beats.^[1] Matthew Strauss of Pitchfork said the project was a follow up to his previous success, Heartpacing, calling it more "expansive".^[2]

Notes

• All tracks are stylized in lowercase.

Sample credits

• ^{^[a]} "Dead Girl" contains a sample of "Sextape", written by Stephen Carpenter, Abe Cunningham, Chino Moreno, Frank Delgado, and Sergio Vega, produced by Nick Raskulinecz as performed by Deftones.
• ^{^[b]} "Misery" contains a sample of "Undone – The Sweater Song", produced by Ric Ocasek as performed by Weezer.

• Jaydes – vocals, songwriting
• Grayskies – production (track 1,2)
• Marcusbasquiat – production (10)
• Srrybouturshoes – production (track 7)
• Jewxlry – production (track 7)
• BossUp – production (track 14)
• 0grave – production (track 15)
• Krxxk – production (track 17)