Virginia MC Jay Savage returns with “Self Cleaning Oven”, the powerful first single from his upcoming project Only Scars Can Make You King: Spring Collection. Featuring underground heavyweight CRIMEAPPLE, the track is a masterclass in balance — pairing hard-hitting drums with lush, soulful samples that reflect the song’s deeper lyrical duality.
Across 3 and a half minutes, Jay Savage delivers a raw rags-to-riches story, effortlessly swinging from reflections on past struggles to present-day triumphs. With lines like “went from selling blacks rock, to six figure investments with BlackRock”, Jay’s sharp wit and unflinching honesty shine, turning personal history into poetic gold. CRIMEAPPLE matches that energy bar for bar, reminding us that while success may be new, the core values remain timeless: “came into this bitch with less than what I got now, but the most valuable things I got now I had THEN.”
Punctuated by Funkmaster Flex’s unmistakable ad-libs, “Self Cleaning Oven” brings an energy that feels like a cipher and a therapy session all at once — clever lines, unfinished short stories, and wisdom that lingers well after the beat fades.
As part of a 7-song project inspired by rediscovering an old friend’s beat tape from the early 2000s, Only Scars Can Make You King marks Jay’s most ambitious work to date. It’s a comeback narrative for an artist who walked away from music for over a decade to chase a corporate life — only to return sharper, wiser, and more fearless.
If “Self Cleaning Oven” is any indication, this spring collection is set to be one of the most thoughtful and hard-hitting indie hip-hop releases of 2025.
