Take 5 with LC Son

Juliun “LC Son” Lawrence said the first thing he did after he graduated high school was beg his mom for a laptop so he can start making music. That investment paid off over the years, as the Thibodaux native has acquired a dedicated fanbase and an impressive body of work since then. Born into a family of writers, LC Son incorporates captivating lyrics in his music while also delivering each line with resounding energy, making him a standout in the Bayou Region music scene. The artist took the time out of his schedule to discuss his sound, joining the Houma-based No Help Records, his project “STEADFAST” and more.  

Describe your sound.    

“I like to joke about my music being from the sewers of New York. My imagery likes to picture while Mikey and Donatello are underground eating pizza and practicing their south paw, there’s this faint boom bap kick drum and snare just stabbin’ away at the ceiling. Can’t really hear the melody or lyrics, but a constant beat that’s persuading your heart’s rhythm. That’s what I think my sound is. I never want my music to overpower the listener’s heartbeat. So, if I get too ahead of myself and make something that’s hard to groove to, I kind of dial it back for those reasons.” 

Where do you draw inspiration from for your lyrics?   

“When I go to write, it’s usually an emotional experience, so however I feel is my topic. I’m not trying to hide anything when I write. So as long as I have a funk flow, I think I can get away with self-expression instead of trying to be hard and only talk about two to three things every record. I’ve seen and experienced enough to have relatable content, and my awareness is in tune now knowing I have to learn in order to teach.” 

There’s this sort of renaissance in local hip hop, with artists like you, ST.VON, Tron Pheiffer, DVNEHPPY and Jalen Quinn, among others. What’s it like to be a part of that? 

“I still can’t believe it. And that’s not me being humble. I literally had nothing but my family and friends at one point. I wasn’t homeless, but I chose to move out and go sleep on my homies’ floors. I felt like that’s where I belonged. Everyone I knew was in school or had rewarding jobs. And I was just the dude that sold all of them the stuff they scrape the ground in. It sucked; I felt like crap 200 percent of the time.  

And now? People bring me up amongst these names, and I’m like, ‘Me?’ These dudes are geniuses; each one of them will give any rapper out there a migraine. So when they ask me to perform with them, or even when me and my homie S.AI.NT, aka Papa Suede, do ‘PUSH’ live, it feels like I’m chuggin’ the entire fountain of youth. I couldn’t be more appreciative of the lane they all paved for me.” 

What’s been the reception for “STEADFAST”?   

“It’s still ringing, you know? There’re so many different favorites from people. One will like ‘HOW YOU LIVIN KID,’ and the next will like ‘RIGHT HOOK.’ To me, that just means we gave the audience something versatile they all can mess with.  

It feels incredible to hear the crowd singing ‘Capable Love’ word for word. That one came from the heart…That one just messes me up every time I hear it sang back to me.” 

What made you want to join No Help Records?  

“The opportunity of a lifetime, man. I met Mr. Quinn years ago while I was visiting my homie at his job...I called him a crazy person ‘cause he was just young and talented beyond belief. Around that time, he released a couple projects that we used to bump daily. We had been tiptoeing around the collab for a while. And eventually, I got nervous like, ‘Damn I can‘t let this man out rap me when we do get it poppin’.’  

After time and a couple songs, he just approached me with that same humble yet intense demeanor he applies to everything he does and extended his hand. And throughout all the years of knowing him and his team, they’ve never let up and continued to grow. Plus, you’d be a clown to want to compete with our lineup...But honestly, the No Help family just opened the doors to me in a way I’ll always be appreciative of. I’m honored to be a part of this.” 

Bonus Question: If you can choose, would you rather have $1 million dollars or a million social media followers right now, and why?   

“Give me the cash, man. Forget a follower; nobody gets on social media to be social. It’s all about how good their profile is doing. You get on IG and go straight to your own likes and DMs, just tracking your attention. And I’ll always feel like forget money; we do this for bragging rights and to set an everlasting example of resilience. At least with the money I can get my mom a new phone; she still rockin’ the iPhone 5s ordeal. You feel me?”  

“STEADFAST” is now streaming on Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal. LC Son’s other works can be found on soundcloud.com (warning: explicit language used).  

Are you a local writer, singer, rapper, musician, painter or any other type of artist? Send your work and a short bio of yourself to drew@rushing-media.com to be in consideration for “Take 5.”