Disclaimer: There is a lot of debate around the term "underground". To me, and the way it's used in this article is as a representation of an individual who makes music that is not for mainstream audiences (some perceive that to be a negative thing, I don't). The "underground" is where a new wave of sound is evolving, and artists like Lancey Foux are pioneering authenticty in the creation of music and honing in on an idosyncratic sound.
My overwhelming disdain for my generation and the state of music today and how it reflects the former is no secret. The underground rap scene is littered with wanna-be-rappers (or rather, wanna-be-Cartis and Yeats) who have nothing to say and know more about TikTok and “type-beats” than they do about rapping in the first place. Often – too often – I wonder if I was born in the right generation. Everything feels synthetic and oversaturated with clones. Where has the authenticity gone? The truth-telling? The outpouring of your soul onto the mic? Maybe it just isn’t cool anymore. But it can be, and Lancey Foux is a testament to that – he reminds me that maybe, I was born at the right time (or at the very least, just in time to witness his greatness).
Hailing from East London, 26-year-old Lancey Foux, born Lance Omar, is the best-kept secret of the Underground rap scene. So much so that after each new spontaneous drop on Youtube, fans are always commenting, “LANCEY IS TOO UNDERRATED”, “Hella Underrated,” and, “This guy should be all the way up right now,” and so forth. The gist of it is that fans are wondering: when will Lancey Foux blow up and break his way into the mainstream? Lancey’s answer? Hopefully never.
In an interview with Paper Magazine, when asked about his lyrics on "MURDRR TALK" – a song off his recent mixtape First Degree – where Lancey raps, "I just can't be like Stormzy, it's too late, no one can save me/ I just can't be AJ Tracey," he responds by saying, "They [Stormzy & AJ Tracey] are sick artists, everyone loves them and they make music that a lot of people across the country are going to listen to and everyone in the country is gonna love and that are heartwarming. I realized though, that I'm not that. Not everyone is going to love me, I'm not the type to run around kissing babies or pleasing everyone. I'm just saying in that song that I don't wanna be the [biggest artist] in that way."
In what way then, does Lancey aspire to be the biggest artist one might wonder?
Unsurprisingly, it’s in his own lane, competing with no one other than himself because who could he aspire to be like, when there is no one like him? As he admits in an interview with Complex, “I want to be on my own! I fuck with everyone else but I want to be on my own and I just want to make my music. I'm not trying to get anywhere, so my plan is just to influence," later adding that, "I think my position is just to show everyone that we don't all have to think the same way… I’m not fighting to compete with anything. The real ones are gonna hear me and that’s all that matters."
At times, Lancey reminds me of a philosopher – Aristotle or Socrates, if you please – with his stern dedication to his truth and authenticity, he shines a light on something that’s missing today in the industry – truth-telling. If the truth can’t pay your bills, then what’s it worth? To Lancey, it's everything. A better question yet –what’s the point of a rap cap, if you can dig deep into yourself and create something beyond that?
Lancey’s rebellious spirit is an ode to his early interest in punk music – and the punk movement – which influenced his budding music taste and fashion style as an adolescent. Towering above at 6”4 with his bob-length dreads, he is often seen sporting a pair of black pants (embellished with a chain), some sort of leather garment, – usually a vest or jeans – and a pair of boots. He doesn’t wear the braggadocious chains as many other rappers do, instead, he likes to keep it clean and simple. In his interview with MONTREALITY, when asked about his jewellery, he says, “If I had eighty thousand to spend on jewellery… you wouldn’t even think my jewellery cost eighty thousand, it would be something so simple, so light, so smooth.”
When it comes to the music, he is inspired by the “emotion and the energy in the song,” exuded by Punk artists from the likes of Sid Vicious and Alice Cooper to Swervedriver and the Banshees. In conversation with Goat he explains, “With rock, it’s way more emotional. It’s way more about the feeling. That’s what I’m trying to do with my music.” This “punk mentality” is echoed in his music which blurs the lines of what is considered trap music. His music is a fusion of sounds that blends and bends genres, as he takes inspiration from everything at his disposal.
Infused with a myriad of influences, the result – his music – is a kaleidoscope mix of Americanised trap-infused sounds, punk rock, spacey sounds, indie, R&B, afrobeat, and grime. Working most often alongside his producer and friend, Jay Trench, Lancey boasts a discography of some of the most distinctive sounds – unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. With his unique dialect and cadence, coupled with Trench’s beat, no one could replicate Lancey even if they tried.
Like Lancey, many rappers emerging from the underground scene have insane producers and admirable beat choices. But, this point is where most of them lose their appeal. This is because, a lot of rappers are probably intelligent in their own right, but their music – which, in my opinion, can be viewed as a reflection of their consciousnesses to a certain degree – is mainly concerned with narcotics, luxury, fashion, and namecalling women – with the overarching message and promotion of a hedonistic lifestyle.
If you scroll through any of Lancey Foux’s interviews on Youtube, you will find at least one comment drooling about how intelligent he is (and I checked). In an interview with Goat, when asked why he doesn’t like his biggest hit, “India,”, he clarifies, "That song is not me, “India” is a pop song…I'm trying to say something in my music. I'm trying to explain to people, "stop being stupid out here, understand what life is, understand who you are as a person. I've been talking about life and dying and self-reflection in 80% of my music." In another interview with NME, he says, "I get put in situations that you can't imagine, and you just have to get on with it. That's why it comes out in my music and in my clothes. All those experiences you've been through, that's what it's for." And it's true.
His recent mixtape First Degree released in 2021, is a rough cut of introspective moments and critiques of the world around him. On "CLARITY" he raps, "I can't stand or endorse fugazi/ It's been six-hundred years and n**** still slavin'/ Only difference is the field we're playing in/ So many cries for help, but who's gonna save him? As long as the numbers up, everyone rates him/ Ain't no reward for real, so everyone's fakin'" "You want a reward for being a good guy? It's gonna take a long time/ You in a queue to shine but it's a long line 'cause the truth is if you want some light, you got to lie." He delves deeper into his life and experiences on "HONEST" as he raps, "Some of my fans young as fourteen, it's mad/ 'Cause I was fourteen when I got stabbed/ By fifteen, I seen racks/ By sixteen I seen a strap/ 'Bout seventeen whippin' and drivin'/I was eighteen, f*ckin' two baddies/ At nineteen, I nearly got seven years for heroin inside that baggie/ I'm twenty-five and I got so many problems that still ain't vanish." Here, Lancey is referencing his childhood growing up in Newham, East London, which he calls the “Harlem or Brooklyn” of London. Raised by Ugandan parents, he grew up in an environment where crime and talent paralleled causing him to grow up quicker than most. Regardless, he channels those experiences into his music.
Lancey wants to make you think. His music isn’t mindless, but it tackles the truth of existence – and his personal experiences – it can make you ponder, and perhaps through those introspective moments, you might learn something about the world, or even better, yourself. He effortlessly creates thought-provoking music, that not only sounds extraordinary, but it stems from his heart, or as he calls it, “the spirit”. He explained in an interview with Goat, that a “higher spirit or higher power” is where much of his creativity stems from – viewing himself as a “vessel” for the moment of magic that is created through music. At times I wonder: Is this why Lancey isn’t mainstream? Has mainstream somehow become synonymous with vacuous? A panoply of catchy tunes with no place in your private moments that house your introspection… Maybe.
But, one thing to appreciate about Lancey, if anything at all, is that it’s all full circle – from the music, cover art, and visuals to the fashion – it all emanates a cohesive ethos. He invites you into his world, and how can you not be enthralled? Lancey understands how a song’s accompanying visuals should represent the visual experience you hope to create for your listeners. Or rather, if my music was seen as images, what would it look like? His videos tend to lean towards the I'm currently tripping on shrooms and searching for acid-trance-like videos on Youtube aesthetic. They are characteristically psychedelic and quite frankly, they often make you think, what the f*** am I looking at? But that’s the beauty in it. It forces the mind to attempt to interpret, to think – as with his music – while Lancey is your steady guide.
Lancey Foux is here to save the underground rap scene, and I’m shamelessly spearheading his cult. He is a true artist with a unique creative vision that ripples throughout everything he creates. While chatting with NME, when asked if he feels like an outsider in music, he replies, “I’m gonna do it my way and I’ll go broke about this shit. Every fucking pound in my pocket is used to make sure I execute my vision. I got that mentality because that’s what will make me last.”
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