3 KEYS: The Birth of LoneSword w/ Lungs/Lonesword
The ‘3 Keys’ series discusses intriguing albums, with three key pieces of commentary from the artists’ themselves!
In the year of our Lord 2021, a lot of life has been lived up to this point. More specifically related to the context of this piece, a lot of hip-hop music has been created up until now. As the art form’s pioneering artists are presently well into the middle-ages of their lives, so many different evolutions and re-inventions of the hip-hop style have occurred. Therefore, when you do encounter something in hip-hop that actually feels new, celebration and further exploration is a must.
This brings us to Lungs’, aka LoneSword’s, The Birth of LoneSword album. This is an album that punctuates the work of Lungs to-date, which has been catching my ear for the better part of 2021, specifically due to its innovative style that differentiates itself from traditional hip-hop norms.
1) Your sound of ultra-minimal, and oftentimes discordant and chaotic sample-based production is wild to me. I think it's significantly influencing others in the underground right now too. What inspired your unique beat-making style, and how did your sound evolve (if at all) on this latest album?
L/L: I have always been an East-Coast die-hard in terms of production and rhyme styles. This project and my production style has largely been inspired by a respect and admiration for both the past traditions of NY hip-hop, as well as the innovation currently occurring in the city, resulting from the rebirth and modern renaissance of underground hip-hop. In terms of past stuff, I have been inspired by Cannibal Ox, Wu-Tang, and pretty much everything. Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein played a very large role. I have also been inspired by people like Madlib, Roc Marciano, Aesop Rock, and pretty much everything in the NY underground. In terms of people who I know who inspire me, Fatboi Sharif, AKAI SOLO, phiik, Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon, YL, Mimz, Semiratruth, No-Face, Benji Socrates, Roper Williams, Driveby, Pootie, and History of Mogul Club all have played a key role in the evolution of my rapping and production process as a whole. I really like to use movie soundtracks as samples, and my production process often involves sampling vinyl, as well as movie soundtracks, and blending them together.
From jump, it won’t take someone long to figure out what I was referring to by real innovation on this album. Starting with the production, the influences LoneSword details here are certainly found in his beats, but only in fragments. The grit of an El-P beat off of Cold Vein is present. The oddball quirks of a Madlib is certainly found here as well. The spirit of innovation from the current New York underground scene is certainly embedded in his artistry too. However, what Lungs does with these influences is what makes him special.
He has a great knack for finding a very small piece of sample material, and either warps it or loops it in a way that stretches the bounds in which a sound can serve as the foundation for a beat. On a track like “ICECAPADES”, you can hear how an abrasive string loop drives the whole beat forward, with only some sound effects and skips in the beats interspersed alongside it.
This sort of instrumental style was what defined my early experience with a LoneSword beat, particularly through his work on the Another Planet mixtape series with fellow rapper phiik. However, it noticeably evolved on various spots in this album, which LoneSword alludes to in the second question I asked him.
From a rapping perspective, Lungs subverts typical norms as he raps around the expected pockets of these beats in some cases. In other cases, the raps completely create a pocket of their own, over discordant beats that feature little to no groove-driven pocket to follow. His rapping provides fast and dizzying flows that impress. The delivery is so economical, packing in so many words into a short timespan, yet the lyrics come through clearer than Evian where every witty reference translates effectively. Lungs’ “the plug look like…” bars, present on multiple projects of his, are a particular lyrical highlight that always makes me laugh.
The artistic package that Lungs had already established prior to The Birth of LoneSword, was so strong that it had already begun making waves in the underground. Most notably, Lungs’ fast flows and chaotic sampling techniques can be found on the recent Starker and Al.divino project, SACRED. With this burgeoning influence in mind, it made all the more interesting to me to hear how Lungs approached this latest album, and how he attempted to evolve his sound even further.
2) As evidenced by the grand album title and length of the record (double the size of your recent projects that dropped over the past year), what was the main purpose behind this album? Was this intended to serve as your proper full-scale introduction to listeners?
L/L: This project was for sure meant to be like the first comprehensive and cohesive introduction to my evolution, as not only a rapper, but as a producer as well. This project was really born out of a quest for overall self-sufficiency. I have been rapping since I was very young but only really began my journey of production after making my first ever release Jolly Rogers for which one of my best friends and fellow Tase Grip member Elric made all of the beats for. I used to go up to Elric’s crib on 110th like every night, and he would cook beats on the SP-404 and really was the person who made me fall in love with the device as a whole, encouraged me to get my own, and then taught me how the first steps of how to use it. During my first year and a half of beat-making I was only using the SP-404 and wound up making a project that I called self-sufficiency, which reflected my initial intentions when beginning the whole process of learning how to make beats in the first place.
The Birth of LoneSword is also unique from other projects that I have completed in the past because of the chronological nature and clear development of the production and raps throughout the duration of the entire project. I actually had considered leaving some of the joints off of the project because I had progressed so much past them in terms of beats, but I ultimately decided to leave them in so the listeners themselves could see the progress within the project.
This idea of the album representing his artistic journey, from beginning to end, is fascinating. It really adds another dimension to this album, giving us a new lens to look through, as a result.
There is a growth and refinement in the production and raps that does seem to present itself towards the end of this album, particularly on the instrumental side of things. As the album progresses, LoneSword expands his sound to more accessible territories, with a bit less chaotic sampling going on towards the end of the album, such as on “Planet Fear” and “Thunderball”. You also see some more layered sample work going into “Passages Malibu” and “OOPS!”, showcasing much more of a traditional drum-driven groove that sounded great as well.
Although the rapping is still intricate, Lungs is a little less busy at times on the latter half of the album too, which I did find was executed well. Generally speaking though, the evolution in the raps is less pronounced than what we see on the production side of things. That is definitely not a bad thing though, since Lungs’ trademark fast flow is a real draw for me personally.
3) You have many posse cuts and features on this album. What is it about these collaborators that inspired you, or improved the final product of the album in your view?
L/L: Pretty much everyone who is featured on The Birth of LoneSword are in some way, shape, or form among my favorite artists in the underground in New York City. Every single feature on the album shines and serves as its own inspiration. In many ways, the people and artists who are featured on the project are the very same people who inspired, consulted, assisted, and encouraged the process of making this project, and are thus the people who are responsible for its existence. Part of the reason that the features on this project are so special is because every person who touched any beat treated the project, their verses on it, and the entire experience as a whole, like it was their own project. The amount of love poured into this entire tape by not only me, but everyone involved is immediately evident and is what makes the project so special.
It’s rare to have this many posse cuts on an album, and have them not ruin the flow of the project. I think the reason that these cuts fit TBOL so well is because the inspiration and camaraderie found between Lungs, and these fellow NYC-based collaborators. Guests, such as phiik and YL, are not only long-time collaborators with Lungs, but feature a like-minded approach to rapping that makes them work well together. Past that, we have envelope-pushing guests, such as Fatboi Sharif, AKAI SOLO, and S!LENCE, who fit well within this highly world of rap that Lungs has created.
The amount of love and care that was put into the creation of The Birth of LoneSword is clear as day, which leads to this album being both tasteful, and well put-together, with little to no filler present on what is certainly a lengthy project.
The level of creativity coming out of the New York underground is so diverse and vast, which can make it understandably overwhelming to keep track of. That being said, if you’re interested in experiencing a significant tide of the overall creative wave coming out of the region, The Birth of LoneSword is an exceptionally smart place to start.
Buy The Birth of LoneSword here and stream below.
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