Hillsboro, Texas-based hip hop and trap artist J’Moris doesn’t exactly pull punches in his lyrics in general, using his unique perspective and storytelling abilities to get listeners’ attention on all of his releases. That said, thus far he also hasn’t directly addressed the subject of sex, love and different relationship dynamics in the way he has with his latest two tracks, “Not for Everybody” and “Special.” Released as a dual single, they’re meant to compliment each other and, quite likely, are about the same woman or type of woman.
“Special” will surprise fans with an interesting and unique beat, the synths crafted to sound almost like a classical harp playing a scale progression. It’s a cool contract to the dirty trap beat and even dirtier vocals, as J’Moris describes a tryst between presumably himself and what sounds like a very capable woman. This track lays the groundwork for “Not for Everybody” as it seems the man in this story actually has some emotional attachment, whereas the woman is really just looking for sex.
In “Not for Everybody,” the first shock comes in the form of J’Moris’s vocals, which are quite beautifully sung rather than rapped. The next shock comes with the description of the woman in the song, the one who’s very sexually open, doesn’t want love and is, because of that, “not for everybody.” The surprise here is that there’s no objectification or disrespect of said woman. In fact, at one point, J’Moris says he respects her choices and though there is a wistful tone to this song similar to “Special,” the point is very much not about her but about the changing social mores around sex and love. 
We’re already pretty far past the days of objectifying and vilifying women in hip hop by and large (thanks Drake), but J’Moris also manages to perfectly capture the new set of problems that can come with everyone being so open: the emotional toll when there are still feelings involved, the men who still seek to objectify, the confusion and even the psychology behind is seem summed up not only in J’Moris’s lyrics but in the complimentary video for “Not for Everybody.”
The same wistfulness and emotional confusion is there on the screen even though it appears to simply be a poker game between co-ed friends with the end implying the two have hooked up. Is it all that simple? J’Moris leaves it up to the audience to decide.
The cool thing about J’Moris, or one of the cool things, anyway, is that his work is musically on the level with some of the best trap and hip hop artists out there right now but he’s always got an interesting take or moral quandary to present to his audience. Far from the Xanny and booty music that most people may associate with trap and southern hip hop, J’Moris offers think pieces to his audience even when the booze and the booty are present and accounted for. There’s more to life than just sensation, and J’Moris is determined to explore it in his music.
“Simple” and “Not for Everybody” are our not and can be streamed on J’Moris’s Spotify. Check out his YouTube channel for the videos for “Simple” and his other tracks.
