Jay Jody’s first full-length project offers a snapshot of his life and headspace. On “Don’t Beg for Love,” the Pretoria lyricist speaks on the dangers of over-reliance on outside validation in the social media age alongside PTA rap veteran Boy Wonder. It’s a topic he expands on with “You Ain’t Gotta Like Me,” where he brings out the receipts that solidify him as a thoroughbred of SA hip-hop; he sings, “You ain’t gotta like me, but one thing you gon’ do, one thing you should do is put some respect upon my name,” in the hook.
The warm, breezy “Purple Palm Trees” (featuring Marcus Harvey and Jay Jody’s brother, A-Reece) coalesces the cocktail of production styles that define Sunset Stories. On the Afrobeats-leaning “Sundress,” Jay and R&B singer Una Rams fall under the spell of a lover’s summer gown and its captivating silhouette. The project concludes with “Sunset Stories, Tales of the Cool,” where Jay Jody laces the key-laden beat with grown-man talk: “Careful with your pride/Kill your fucking ego/Put it in a body bag and make sure that you zip it up.”