Washington Post · June 2020
"The Most Urgent Rap Album of the Year"
WaPo called GTL the most urgent rap album of 2020 — covering JoogSzn's unprecedented jail-phone recording method.
washingtonpost.com ↗
NPR / All Things Considered · Aug 2020
Prison Telecom Indicted By a Rap Album Recorded in Jail
NPR placed GTL on Top 25 Albums of H1 2020. Aired the Joog + Drakeo story nationally to millions of listeners.
npr.org ↗
Pitchfork · 2020
8.5 — "Likely the Greatest Rap Album Ever Recorded from Jail"
Scored 8.5, ranked #32 on 50 Best Albums of 2020. Joog: "Got an 8.5 on Pitchfork. Outdid Future, Bad Bunny."
pitchfork.com ↗
Okayplayer · 2022–2024
Behind the Beat: JoogSZN on Drakeo as One of the LA Greats
Profiled as a fellow architect of Traffic Music who altered the sonic template of West Coast rap.
okayplayer.com ↗
The FADER · June 2022
JoogSzn Drops Debut Album, Where's Joog?
FADER profiled the transition from go-to producer to solo artist — on his own terms, on his own label.
thefader.com ↗
Knock LA · April 2024
One of LA's Most Influential Music Producers
Deep profile — Crenshaw roots, HitMob founding, GTL recording sessions, and why cops still harass one of LA's most important producers.
knock-la.com ↗
Passion of the Weiss · June 2020
"The Best Jail Rap Album Ever"
Every song astonishing and humbling — Joog's icy minimal beats pumped through a prison phone for something miraculous.
passionweiss.com ↗
Spectrum Culture · June 2020
A Testament to the Irrepressible Power of Art
JoogSZN's stripped-down beats called the perfect pedestal for Drakeo's scratchy jail-phone takes. Unimpeachable.
spectrumculture.com ↗
Flypaper / Soundfly · 2020
Recording Drakeo The Ruler Over the Phone from Jail
The full story — 36 hours of jail phone sessions, weeks of mixing, Joog's vision to turn injustice into rap history.
flypaper.soundfly.com ↗
