“Tryna’ add colour to this painting that I live to keep vibrant” Lord Apex spits on the title track and intro of his newly released album The Good Fight. There’s a bright hue that shines through the Madlib production at this moment, and the West London artist leaves strokes of passion as he wields his lyrical paintbrush. Each word he delivers adds more depth, creating a portrait of one of the most exciting prospects in hip-hop today.
There’s more to The Good Fight than just the result, however. Each component of this piece represents a quest Lord Apex had to embark on. The palette wasn’t immediately available to him in his painting; it required veering off beaten paths, all of which whirled in different directions, but led to a common destination of self-growth. When he finally approached the canvas, he had a myriad of colours at his disposal. There are tones of blue that represent confronting past pain on songs like ‘Back Outside’. There are splatters of gleaming yellow on ‘God Put Love’, where he finds appreciation in affection. The brushes of acts like DJ Khalil, Bones, MAVI, Freddie Gibbs, and more also grace the page, adding additional perspectives to Apex’s personal experiences.
In celebration of The Good Fight, we hopped on a Zoom call with Lord Apex to learn more about his quest for personal evolution, and how connecting with his younger self is helping him stay the course.
Congratulations on The Good Fight! How are you feeling about the release?
I feel really good, man. It’s a cool moment for the person I was when I was younger because it’s always what I thought my first album would sound like. The type of beats I’m on are the types of beats I envisioned I would be on 10 years ago. Being here now makes me happy that I stayed the course,
I think the fact that you were able to see yourself 10 years ago rapping on beats from legends like Madlib says a lot about the self-worth you possess. Where do you think that comes from?
Man, there are certain people you look up to and dream of working with one day. It doesn’t always come to fruition, but Madlib was one of those guys for me. I knew when I changed my name to Lord Apex, which was influenced by Lord Quas, that I was going to work with this man one day. I was going to make it happen no matter what. But even so, it’s not like I could 100% guarantee it. So for it to be a reality now makes me super grateful. I’m appreciative, and we’ve even got more stuff together in the stash.
The title track finds you reflecting on times in life when you’ve been wrong. How does addressing those moments lead you to fight the good fight?
We all start on one road, and as you travel, you find paths to other roads. It’s up to you whether you take them or not, but if your heart is still intact throughout the process, you made the right decision. The good fight comes into play when you’re trying to make your way back to the main road, so you can stay the course. Over the last few years, things for me have truly gotten hectic. I moved out of my mum’s crib, I’m paying rent, I’m dealing with partners and relationships, and I’m having a truly adult experience. This has made me feel like I have things to speak about, and I can approach the music from a more mature place.
Do you find it hard to address your vulnerabilities when you’re going down these different paths?
For sure. There is this catch-22 in my music where in my personal life, I am quite a private person. So when it comes to creating, it’s like therapy for me. I’m alone in the studio, and I’m not thinking about the world. It’s like my own hyperbolic time chamber. So when you hear my music, it sounds personal, and I’m letting off a lot of personal information, but I don’t notice it as I’m making it. I think after the fact, hearing things back, you realise that there’s this weight off your shoulders. And then having people sing or memorise lyrics empowers the things you are expressing. With the completion of this album, I feel much lighter. I don’t feel that until the album is completed, but with it being out now, I feel like I can breathe a little easier.
When listening back to these revelations you make throughout your music, does your definition of ‘the good fight’ change?
100%. I think the best way to describe my approach is that it’s just me speaking on my experiences in life as an artist and a Caribbean-raised black British boy in London. A lot of the time I’m giving myself positive reinforcement on songs, and the lyrics often act as reminders of things I need to do or achieve. I also feel like I learn a lot from others about how they interpret the songs. Just hearing the different analogies people take from them. Our definitions might be different, but the fact that they can perceive different things is beautiful.
You talked earlier about being able to approach music from a more mature place now. I feel like in hip-hop recently, we’re seeing more and more examples of the ability to age gracefully with your music, exemplified by albums like Jay Z’s 4:44. Is there a part of you that looks forward to that older, seasoned veteran portion of your career?
I grew up experiencing the era of Jay Z vs Nas, and as a kid, I was always firmly on Nas’ side during their feud. It was not until I got older that I realised people didn’t take everything in hip-hop as seriously as I did, so my first experience becoming a Jay-Z fan was with 4:44 because it was my first time being able to hear him express like that. I honestly can’t wait to give people the 40-year-old Lord Apex album, or the 50-year-old Lord Apex album. I plan to be able to play a couple of instruments by that time, with the ability to create smooth instrumentals and also really be in my wise guru bag.
Hip-hop only just turned 50 years old, so it’s still super young. A lot of the younger guys don’t have those examples of the older dudes being cool. I want to become an example of an older, cooler artist. If you allow yourself to age in music and become wiser, it expands the amount of topics you feel like you’re able to approach. You’re not worried about trends or anything like that anymore. When I listen to some of my favourite jazz albums, some of them just talk about walking in the park. The more you learn about life and the more you grow, the more you realise you can talk about anything.
There are several moments on this album where you talk about getting in touch with your younger self. What have you learned about yourself in this process?
My younger self had a different drive. Getting in touch with my younger self through the music is helping me find it again. Something I’m always trying to work on is practising what I preach a little more, and I’m making steps. Like I love getting up in the morning, I love listening to my vinyl, and I’m finding way more peace in the smaller things outside of my position of being an artist. I feel like the more you learn about the industry, the more things dishearten you. I used to think you get to a point in music that you’re so great, that you get to perform on TV at an awards show. But then you come to find out that there’s label involvement and so many other things that go into dictating who performs, and things like that changed the trajectory of where I saw myself going with this stuff. It’s learning about things like this that makes it easier not to get blinded by the flashing lights and made me realise that it’s all about longevity. They try to catch you with the glittery stardust and allure of those things that last 5 minutes, where if you build yourself a foundation you’ve got that forever.
You work with people on this album like BONES, DJ Khalil, Madlib, Mavi, and more. You’re all vastly different as artists, but what is a common thread that you all share?
We’re all super pro-independence and in a way, anti-establishment. Those collaborations happened naturally, but when you think about it, we all kind of represent being in control of our creativity. I like to look at art as like a golden egg, where if you’re independent, you own all of your golden egg, but you can lose percentages of that when you begin working with labels and whatnot. It’s important to keep a grasp of the golden egg because it stays with you for life, and it goes to your family and loved ones after you’re gone, so you can find comfort in knowing that they’re good when you’re not around anymore. Financial freedom and generational wealth are important things to me, and I know they’re important to them as well. I think that’s why we work so well together on this album.
Lastly, an instant highlight on the album is ‘Muuma’, a beautiful ode to the importance of family, which you prioritise even amidst the journey of growth that is The Good Fight. How do you think family helped shape the artist you are today and the person you are becoming?
My mum has always supported me on this journey. Even when it was just open mics and a bit of a struggle, she was always there telling me to keep hustling, and she was there for anything that I needed. Being able to pay homage to her at this moment and just say thank you felt like a full circle moment because her support and encouragement helped lead me to where I am today.
Follow Lord Apex here for more and stream the new album ‘The Good Fight’ here.