Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I grew up in Queens, NY and music was a huge part of my childhood. My parents were more into classic rock and soul, but hip-hop music was everywhere, between school dances, music videos and cars blasting it out of the speaker, so soon my cousins and I were building up our CD collections with whatever hip-hop albums we can get our hands on. Plus we were always trading CDs, burning mix CDs, etc. And once Jay-Z dropped The Blueprint, that solidified my M.O. as an obsessive hip-hop nerd. I started making up raps to show my friends why I was nerding out so much about rap, and then by the time I was 15 or 16 I started going to the legendary hip-hop/emceeing event End of the Weak at the Pyramid Club on the Lower East Side. That was my real training ground.
So while I was definitely a hip-hop purist for a while, my tastes continued to evolve and expand, leading me to want to work with P. Cruz again, who is super versatile, and try out some more alternative sounds on this latest project, The Best Is Over.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Lex Rush”?
A: That’s the plan, but it can be easier said than done! I’m doing a lot of organic reaching out to share my project personally with artists and music fans. In terms of a message, that’s hard to say, but I’m super accessible – if you hear the music and have any thoughts, positive or negative, reach out to me and let me know.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: There’s so many, including the independent artists who I’m also lucky to call friends, associates and collaborators. Also, while I don’t know him personally, this year I was super inspired by Kota the Friend. He’s an independent artist with a terrific output and this year alone he had at least two standout, yet very different projects; a more boom bap leaning record with Statik Selektah and then a rap record with more house type beats. Both were great.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the album, “The Best Is Over.”?
A: The title and concept are inspired by a line and one of the key themes in the TV series “The Sopranos.” Tony Soprano says in episode 1 “lately I’m getting the feeling that I came in at the end; the best is over.” It’s basically an existential crisis questioning the crazy and often shitty world around us, and also questioning if the past was ever that great either. Nostalgia is really only kind to a few. But, we didn’t want to make the album all doom and gloom, so to complement some darker lyrical themes, my collaborator/producer P. Cruz and I wanted to make the music and instrumentation lively and upbeat.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Engaging. Well hopefully, it’s that!
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “The Best Is Over”?
A: There are always going to be challenges when making music is a team effort and doing a lot of things collaboratively, just logistically and schedule wise. But we got it to the finish line and I’m super happy with how it came out and how the album is being received so far.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I’m just trying to be myself, emcee and songwrite as good as possible, and make catchy music that people can both enjoy and find meaning in.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: That’s a tough one because I’m such as music head and fan, so there’s dozens of people that I’d like to name. But for now, I’ll go with Madlib. I mean, most rappers want to collaborate with Madlib, plus he has such a dope and varied range of musical influences and styles.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Making money off of music is not easy but the more things you can do yourself — from production to mixing and mastering to filming and editing, all in addition to performing, the better chance you’ll have to sustain a career and get to the bag.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Make as much music as you can, publisize it sooner and learn how to produce your own beats, edit your own videos and be as DIY as possible! Also, don’t wait for someone to “discover you.” Make your own waves and build your own base.
