AS OF NOW | MUSIC CASSETTE

Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon, My auntie asked me what's my path?" spits Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon on his debut from the celebrated Lex Records. The lyric relatably references the crossroads he's at in his current life, especially as someone right on the cusp of rap stardom. "Recently I've been thinking more and more about what comes next in my life," the artist reveals. It's fair to say Ogbon's Lex LP features less of the sh*t-talking court jester of old. Instead, there's more of an imperfect man re-examining past mistakes so he can avoid any future forks in the road. There's a particular focus on overcoming heartbreak, with the smoky saxophones of "Flewed Out, All Expenses Is Paid For" inspiring Ogbon to admit he's haunted by an ex so badly he now needs to call up the Ghostbusters for assistance. On the smooth-talking "Let Me Reflect / Uber From O'Hare", meanwhile, you witness what feels like an authentic back and forth between a lovesick couple. Here Ogbon hopelessly purrs out the words: "Gave you everything you want / it be hard to save money." This warts-and-all approach of the new music goes a long way to humanizing the hard-earned come up of an artist who has quite literally grown from blogging about local rap, to getting rave reviews from Pitchfork.  Since emerging in the late 2010s, Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon has consistently lit up America's underground rap scene and this is thanks to a refreshingly honest writing style. Amid the exquisitely wavy strings of 2021's The Missing Link / The Sneaky Link, for example, he rapped: "Everyone thinks they're player, until their bitch doesn't come home." Biting and snappy, the nasally vocals carry the playful verve of comedian Richard Pryor bravely excavating personal demons to solicit giggles. All this brash, wry Redman-inspired storytelling continues on the new project. It's first single is titled I'm Signed to Lex, Now I'm Up - a name that mirrors what a big moment releasing a project on the label that once housed MF DOOM represents for Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon's legacy. "I'm really driven by being able to level up and give my family more financial freedom," he hopes.  And, if auntie asked what his path was right now, what exactly would the rapper say? Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon concludes: "Auntie: this rapping thing feels like it's finally about to pay off!