In this interview spotlight, I chat with Lyrical Justifier about the latest music, surviving the pandemic, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
I’m from Newark, NJ but I’m based out of Hillside, NJ with the help of Mindless Sound Records. My style is my own. Rappers rhyme to the drums. I rhyme to the other instruments like the bass or the guitar that’s why I love performing with a live band.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
I always knew about hip hop but I never thought of doing it until I was fifteen going through an abusive household & depression until a childhood friend Vic told me to put my feelings into rhyme. From there on I never looked back.
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
The first few releases were with a Hip Hop duo called Jersey Advocates. My first solo album “Penance” was more of road map of my trials & tribulations that I have faced, dealt with, & feel like I’m still paying for hence the title. I feel this current album “Roll of the Dice” has more street bangers than my previous releases.
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
The biggest challenge creatively was dealing with public. I was afraid of catching Covid. It seemed like no one wanted to socially distance or wear masks. I’ve been so lucky I’ve had full access to the label’s recording studio & video editing studio. Since the Pandemic I’ve been creating music videos, short films, creating beats, & doing assistant engineering for my producer Brother Noyze The Mad Musician Aka Greg L. Hines. I’ve also been recording verses for other Mindless Sound Records projects & doing verses here and there on songs with my label mates.
Due to Covid we couldn’t collaborate with certain actors, actresses or musicians so we were limited to who we could work with. It also gave me the opportunity to expand my skill set. This included learning how to do digital art which gave birth to the album cover for “Roll of The Dice” (I created it from start to finish). I also became more skilled at video editing & creation. I ended up doing a few videos for my label mates “Black House Crush”, “Mk836” & “Greg L. Hines”. I also did the video for my new song “ The elevator” with stock footage & creative editing. I’ve always been one of the label’s photographers & camera men for videos but I ended up assisting in editing a lot more during Covid. We actually won some awards for short films I acted in, videos I helped film & do cinematography for. I still have a lot to learn in terms of all things concerning video and film creation.
What was the last song you listened to?
Big Pun Twins (Deep Cover 98) off of the Capital Punishment album
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
Cassettes I’m cool with because certain albums can’t be found on CDs. I listen to CDs, Streaming Platforms, & Vinyl as well.
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
Instagram——@lyricaljustifier
Tik Tok——lyrical justifier
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
Go to https://linktr.ee/LyricalJustifier to follow me on all social media platforms & find previous projects I have worked on. Also don’t forget to check out my new album “Roll of the Dice” on all Streaming Platforms. I appreciate you & your publication.
