The Dragon of an Ordinary Family

The Dragon of an Ordinary Family is an album by British hip-hop artist Jehst, released on his label YNR Productions, on 19 June 2011. This release is his first in six years since 2005's Nuke Proof Suit.

The Dragon of an Ordinary Family
Studio album by
Jehst
Released19 June 2011
Recorded2004 - 2011
GenreUK hip hop
Length55:08
LabelYNR Productions
ProducerJehst, LG, Mr. Thing, Chemo, Beat Butcha, Jon Phonics, Zygote
Jehst chronology
Nuke Proof Suit
(2005)		 The Dragon of an Ordinary Family
(2011)
Singles from The Dragon of an Ordinary Family
  1. "Starting Over"
    Released: 5 April 2011

Background

Work for the album dates back to the Nuke Proof Suit sessions, as one or two tracks were held back for this release; causing Jehst to refer to the album as "[being] like a scrapbook..."[1]

Album title

The title is from "an old kids' picture book" (by Margaret Mahy and Helen Oxenbury, London: Heinemann, 1969).[2]

Jehst described the title of the album as "the juxtaposition of ‘Dragon’ with ‘Ordinary Family’. You’ve got references to everyday mundane shit that everyone can relate to, but at the same time there’s something otherworldly about it and something that’s kind of fantastical and people can’t quite put their finger on. It’s that mixture of the everyday with the surreal."[3]

Recording

The album features no guest appearances, but boasts production appearances from Jehst himself, long term Jehst collaborators LG and Mr. Thing, veteran producer Beat Butcha and new producers Zygote, Jon Phonics and Chemo.

Promotion

The first single from the album, "Starting Over", was launched by a viral marketing video campaign in which a supposed Jehst fan recorded footage of the rapper appearing as a worker of the Post Office. 'Jehst Is My Postman' later turned out to be a PR stunt, as this recording was followed up by a music video of the single, featuring many other rappers dressed in a variety of costumes.

Critical reception

The release received mostly positive reviews[4][5]

Track listing
Standard album
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."True Intentions"LG3:30
2."Killer Instinct"Jehst2:54
3."Zombies"Zygote4:09
4."Thinking Crazy"Mr. Thing5:02
5."England"Beat Butcha4:18
6."Camberwell Carrots"LG2:49
7."Starting Over"Jehst2:53
8."Old No. 7"Chemo3:42
9."The Illest" (additional vocals by Apollo)Jehst3:50
10."Sounds Like Money"Jehst3:20
11."Back to the Drawing Board"Chemo3:08
12."Poison"LG3:09
13."Interlude"Jehst1:07
14."Tears in Rain"LG3:42
15."Timeless"Jon Phonics3:37
16."Two Point One Four (The Dragon of an Ordinary Family)"LG4:49
Total length:55:08

References
  1. http://www.dinmag.co.uk/jehst-interview/
  2. Oxenbury won the annual British Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration in 1969 for The Dragon of an Ordinary Family written by Mahy and The Quangle Wangle's Hat written by Edward Lear.
    "The Kate Greenaway Award: Full List of Winners" Archived 6 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine. The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Children's Book Awards. Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
  3. http://www.dinmag.co.uk/jehst-interview/
  4. "BBC - Music - Review of Jehst - the Dragon of an Ordinary Family".
  5. "Dragon Water Fountain Ideas". 9 July 2020.


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