The pandemic is a strange time for the Philippine music scene. On one hand, the rotating door of community quarantines that have kept us in our homes has sent the live music gig circuit into a state of catatonia, with some of the metro’s most hopping joints shuttering their doors permanently. On the other hand, this same period birthed some pretty banger music albums from both newcomers and veterans alike. It has afforded hip hop mainstay Lex Luthoor the time and introspection to crank out a whole debut album, Just a Draft.
“If you’re in a collective, it doesn’t really portray your [music] writing fully,” says Luthoor of his exploration in creating his solo sound. “You only have sixteen bars. That’s just 30 seconds. It’s a mix and match of everybody [on the record]. If you’re writing an album for yourself, you’ve got as long as you want. Every song is different. Every song portrays a feeling or a perspective. This is me from start to finish.”
The pandemic is a strange time for the Philippine music scene. On one hand, the rotating door of community quarantines that have kept us in our homes has sent the live music gig circuit into a state of catatonia, with some of the metro’s most hopping joints shuttering their doors permanently. On the other hand, this same period birthed some pretty banger music albums from both newcomers and veterans alike. It has afforded hip hop mainstay Lex Luthoor the time and introspection to crank out a whole debut album, Just a Draft.
“If you’re in a collective, it doesn’t really portray your [music] writing fully,” says Luthoor of his exploration in creating his solo sound. “You only have sixteen bars. That’s just 30 seconds. It’s a mix and match of everybody [on the record]. If you’re writing an album for yourself, you’ve got as long as you want. Every song is different. Every song portrays a feeling or a perspective. This is me from start to finish.”
The ten-track album showcases Luthoor’s musical range and influences-- from grime to trap, some smattering of boom bap, and even a track where he sings. The producers’ line-up is a who’s who of Luthoor’s frequent collaborators and partners-in-crime: Yung Bawal, Like Animals, RenRen D’Falcon, and Pope Fiction. Just a Draft sounds like something you should be listening to while driving down Manila’s rain-slicked streets past midnight, with a head full of liquor and some bad intentions.
The ten-track album showcases Luthoor’s musical range and influences-- from grime to trap, some smattering of boom bap, and even a track where he sings. The producers’ line-up is a who’s who of Luthoor’s frequent collaborators and partners-in-crime: Yung Bawal, Like Animals, RenRen D’Falcon, and Pope Fiction. Just a Draft sounds like something you should be listening to while driving down Manila’s rain-slicked streets past midnight, with a head full of liquor and some bad intentions.
While Just a Draft captures the spirit and aggro restlessness of a musician forced to stay still, the sense of disquiet and lyrical skill Luthoor pours into it was shaped by a lifetime of personal experiences.
“It gives you a lot of perspective towards life. And perspective is what helps you write music,”
says Luthoor whose roots run deep, having grown up in Nigeria, Spain, and the Philippines. “The things I’ve experienced in these countries and the way of life in these three cultures differ. It definitely helps shape your thoughts.”
”Every country I went to, I just found a group of people who rapped and we just became friends,” says Luthoor. As far as he knows, no one in his family had any musical inclination. Instead, he taught himself to play the piano and joined his school’s marching band to play the drums.
While Just a Draft captures the spirit and aggro restlessness of a musician forced to stay still, the sense of disquiet and lyrical skill Luthoor pours into it was shaped by a lifetime of personal experiences.
“It gives you a lot of perspective towards life. And perspective is what helps you write music,”
says Luthoor whose roots run deep, having grown up in Nigeria, Spain, and the Philippines. “The things I’ve experienced in these countries and the way of life in these three cultures differ. It definitely helps shape your thoughts.”
”Every country I went to, I just found a group of people who rapped and we just became friends,” says Luthoor. As far as he knows, no one in his family had any musical inclination. Instead, he taught himself to play the piano and joined his school’s marching band to play the drums.
“When I was growing up, I always had a problem expressing myself. I was very shy, I was very timid. I kept to myself. My outlet was writing and rapping. The interest [to make music] started, and I just took it from there.”
Luthoor lists Eminem as someone he used to listen to a lot growing up. “I pretty much listen to a bit of everything. I wouldn’t say I listened to any one genre specifically.”
His journey as a musician in the Philippines has spanned more than a decade as part of Lyrically Deranged Poets (LDP) with Abra and RJay Ty, and then with the hip hop powerhouse collective Bawal Clan. At each step of the way, he picked up street wisdom and hard-hitting lessons that helped shape who he is now.
“We started off with a microphone that we got for 1,000 pesos at Makati Cinema Square. We were just fooling around,” says Luthoor about how LDP started. “Then it became something else. We were like, hold up. Chill. What did I learn from LDP? I learned everything. About the music industry, the whole shebang. It was a lot of things that came out at an early age.”
“When I was growing up, I always had a problem expressing myself. I was very shy, I was very timid. I kept to myself. My outlet was writing and rapping. The interest [to make music] started, and I just took it from there.”
Luthoor lists Eminem as someone he used to listen to a lot growing up. “I pretty much listen to a bit of everything. I wouldn’t say I listened to any one genre specifically.”
His journey as a musician in the Philippines has spanned more than a decade as part of Lyrically Deranged Poets (LDP) with Abra and RJay Ty, and then with the hip hop powerhouse collective Bawal Clan. At each step of the way, he picked up street wisdom and hard-hitting lessons that helped shape who he is now.
“We started off with a microphone that we got for 1,000 pesos at Makati Cinema Square. We were just fooling around,” says Luthoor about how LDP started. “Then it became something else. We were like, hold up. Chill. What did I learn from LDP? I learned everything. About the music industry, the whole shebang. It was a lot of things that came out at an early age.”
Luthoor pauses thoughtfully when asked what he had to unlearn during his time with LDP. “You should always review every contract, everything you’re involved with. Make sure you read the fine print from start to end. Don’t let somebody decide for you, or handle your money, creativity, and decision-making.”
The rapper breaks into a deep laugh at the question of what he learned since joining Bawal Clan.
“You can do whatever the hell you want.”
The ironic “that’s bawal”/ everything is permissible ethos that guides the group’s vibe is also the same thing that Luthoor had to resolve within himself in his solo work. “I had to learn punctuality,” he snickers. “[Bawal Clan] was always late for everything. We were having so much fun with it, we were fooling around. When it came to my project, I had to learn how to take things seriously. I tried as much as possible to focus, get everything done, and not waste anybody’s time. Not even my time, not my producers’ time.”
Luthoor pauses thoughtfully when asked what he had to unlearn during his time with LDP. “You should always review every contract, everything you’re involved with. Make sure you read the fine print from start to end. Don’t let somebody decide for you, or handle your money, creativity, and decision-making.”
The rapper breaks into a deep laugh at the question of what he learned since joining Bawal Clan.
“You can do whatever the hell you want.”
The ironic “that’s bawal”/ everything is permissible ethos that guides the group’s vibe is also the same thing that Luthoor had to resolve within himself in his solo work. “I had to learn punctuality,” he snickers. “[Bawal Clan] was always late for everything. We were having so much fun with it, we were fooling around. When it came to my project, I had to learn how to take things seriously. I tried as much as possible to focus, get everything done, and not waste anybody’s time. Not even my time, not my producers’ time.”
While Just a Draft is Lex Luthoor’s declaration to the entire hip hop nation to never count him out, it comes with a sober admission that the debut album is, at its core, just a draft. It’s far from Luthoor’s final form.
“Music is always going to be evolving, so I think the artist should always be evolving as well,”
says Luthoor. “You just have to keep adapting to the sound. There’s a lot of sounds that I haven’t really explored yet. So, yes, the sound will change. Will always keep changing. Even if people like it, or people don’t like it. I will always try to do something new,” he says with a shrug. “Gotta keep them guessing.”
Check out the premiere of Lex Luthoor’s music video for 10 Toes Down / Grim Reaper out now!
You can also watch this CLAVEL exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the music video shoot.
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