Recently I stumbled across the music of this emcee from Brooklyn named Lerix. Having never heard of him before, I dug a little deeper to find myself actually impressed with the quality of work, most importantly of the quality of music Lerix was putting out.
Reminiscent of and comparable to the "Golden Era" of hip hop (1990's), Lerix's laid back style and raw vocal ability, mixed with his choice of beats or "moods" to match the depth and wittiness of his lyrics prove to be a successful combination for this rap artist.
We were fortunate enough at the Future of Rap Music (F.O.R.M.) Business blog to catch up with Lerix, as he chops it up and breaks it down for us in this exclusive interview:
F.O.R.M.: First of all, I would just like to thank you for this interview opportunity. Could you please tell the readers and future fans about yourself. Who is Lerix, and what do you represent?
Lerix: “Thank you so much for having me, it's my pleasure! Hello world! My name is Lerix; I'm a hip-hop artist from Brooklyn, NYC. For the most part I try to represent the hip-hop culture without the flash and gimmicks, more of the "Rock" and less of the "Star.” (I hope that makes sense, ha-ha!)"
F.O.R.M.: You're not just a rapper/producer, you're a rapper/producer from Brooklyn. That's gotta be enough to make you raise your level of competition coming right out the gate. How important is it for you to stay true to your self while not trying to live up to a certain standard?
Lerix: “I think being from Brooklyn greatly influences my writing style but that's about it. Staying true to myself is honestly the core of everything I do. I feel the artists that really push genres forward are the ones who always come from a genuine place.
I'm not interested in what the standard is or what's hot right now. If I'm not truly inspired by an idea I won’t do it."
F.O.R.M.: You performed live at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, in your home town, how special was that for you? Can you describe how the crowd responded to your performance and how did it make you feel to receive that kind of reaction?
Lerix: “I’ve always wanted to perform in the B.H.H.F.; it was just something on my life "to-do" list. The crowed was pretty dope, especially because it was the hottest day of the summer!
Everyone was there to enjoy music; it felt good to be in that kind of environment. I really dig that about music festivals. People let more of their guard down when they come to music festivals; it’s always a good time!"
F.O.R.M.: What first inspired you to pursue a career as an artist/producer in the music business, and what motivates you to keep pursuing your goals?
Lerix: "Writing music always felt like a perfect fit for me. People spend years trying to figure out what is it they want to do in their lives, I was lucky to find out what I wanted pretty early.
Creating keeps me motivated, I love to create, whether its music, writing stories, whatever. As long as I'm creating, I will always keep pursuing towards my goals."
Video: "Show and Prove" - Lerix featuring Shane Eli & Kamilah Gibson
F.O.R.M.: I have read in some of your press materials that you're about to embark on your first tour. That's great news! How are you preparing your self for life on the road? When can we expect the venues/dates to be announced?
Lerix: "The tour we're planning is going to be a small east coast tour, so I'm not so worried about living on the road yet. I think when a bigger tour opportunity comes around I'll be okay with it as long as there's a shower involved! (Ha-ha). I'm hoping to have everything finalized by the end of the summer, and then I'll let everybody know what's going on!"
F.O.R.M.: How important is it for you to have your own website and connect with fans on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter? Also, what are some of the other ways that you market your music to your fans?
Lerix: “I love Twitter and FaceBook! I love having platforms to directly speak to fan to share my thoughts with! It's been very important to the way I spread my music around, and they're a fun way to do it!
Aside from social media sites, my music also gets picked up by some of the hip-hop sites and blogs and always I encourage people to visit my website, www.lerixmusic.com (shameful plug! ha-ha)"
F.O.R.M.: You've worked with a lot of up and coming producers such as Bravestarr, MTO Beats, Soopa and many others. What do you look for specifically when you select producers for a project?
Lerix: "I look for a mood when I select beats. Once I find that mood, I try to match my style to the beat. I tend to gravitate towards producers that really work melodies into their production. If you got a good melody into your beat and it fits with my style, it’s over!"
Video: "I Got This" - Lerix
F.O.R.M.: Your "New Heights" mix-tape is dope, and your "Audio Arcade" mix-tape is a great follow up. Has it been a challenge to stay fresh or do you find it happening naturally from project to project?
Lerix: "I usually don't have a hard time with staying fresh because I tend to have underlined themes to my projects. For Example, the theme of "New Heights" was me deciding that I’m here making music because I decided it and not because the industry decided it for me.
The theme of “Audio Arcade" was me getting more personal with my audience and letting them into my personal space, thoughts and feelings. As long as I have a theme to go by I can always stay fresh."
F.O.R.M.: Now that you've released your "Audio Arcade" mix-tape and you're about to go on tour, what's next up in your game plan? Can you tell us a little bit about your future goals and projects, or is that all still a work in progress?
Lerix: "It's definitely still a work in progress. I have my overall goal which is to continue to write, record and perform music but I take everything else day to day. I have way too much A.D.D. to be settled on one idea.
At any given moment I can change my mind about something major in my life, I want to hold on to that flexibility for as long as I can."
F.O.R.M.: Lastly, is there any shout outs or important messages you would like to share with your fans?
Lerix: "Yes! big shout-out and thanks to all my supporters! You are a constant inspiration for my music! You guys are the best!"
If you didn't know, then your ass needs to get familiar! Check out more music, bio, press and pics and videos at:
http://lerixmusic.com/
http://www.youtube.com/thatkidlerix
http://twitter.com/#!/lerixmusic
http://www.facebook.com/thatkid.lerix
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