Kendric Luhmont, more commonly known as “The LuhMont” or just “LuhMont,” is breaking the stigma behind young, modern rappers by staying focused, keeping away from drugs and challenging himself to test other genres.
He wrote the majority of his latest album “Still on Fire” in just one day. “Still on Fire” is made of 10 songs that shouldn’t flow, but manage to mesh together well. LuhMont spent hours crafting the lyrics for seven of the album’s songs that day.
“The lyrics all have meaning to me. There isn’t a song that I’ve put out that isn’t a part of me,” LuhMont said.
The first song, “Meditate,” kicks the album off on a mellow beat with surprisingly intense lyrics: “Will I fail or prevail, will I end up dead or in jail?”
LuhMont said he is inspired by Nas and Tupac, who are both known for songs that speak on real world topics like violence and white privilege. LuhMont said he wants to bring emotion back into the rap world instead of just talking about drugs and guns.
LuhMont is trying to break the stereotype that rappers need to be associated with gangs, drugs and other criminal activity, but that isn’t to say he’ll never rap about it. He has personal experience with the violence that can come from guns. He has seen friends shot and has consequences, which makes his raps even more personal.
“Guns can look cool, but I don’t want young kids who listen to my music to think that I just hang around with guns all day. That isn’t me,” LuhMont said.
His most recent music video for his single “Rollin’” features several guns, so LuhMont is considering taking it down.
“It’s a good video, but it’s just not what I envisioned for the song,” LuhMont said. “The more I watch it the more I realize that it isn’t me.”
LuhMont produced his own music video for his song “Boom Bye” Jan. 2018.
“The idea came to me in my sleep in the middle of the night,” LuhMont said.
He woke all of his friends up and made the video in one night. The video is completely different from “Rollin.’” It is more of LuhMont’s true style, which is slow yet meaningful and simple. He doesn’t need guns or cash to make his videos flow with his music and lyrics, which he writes completely by himself.
“I started writing when I was in middle school,” LuhMont said. “I liked to write poems and that slowly turned into me writing raps.”
His poetry and writing helped him transition into his rapping career, and he first recorded himself rapping when he was 17. He prefers recording himself with his own equipment rather than in a studio so he can have more control of his style.
LuhMont’s said his favorite tape is “XTape,” which he made in honor of his ex-girlfriend. It is titled “XTape” because it is about the unknown. He uses effects like a gun shooting at the end of one of his tracks to make the listeners experience more than just a song.
He makes his songs with his own equipment, but the results are professional-grade. He wants his music to be completely his, which is why he isn’t rushing to sign to any labels. He makes his own art, write his own lyrics and is interested in making his own videos.
“I want people to feel something more than just a beat, though the beat is important,” LuhMont said.
LuhMont records himself alone and makes everyone leave the room, even his best friend, who goes by the stage name Germx. Germx and LuhMont have been friends since school at Lafayette High School and are still going strong.
LuhMont recently launched his own website with links to his music videos. He plans on producing more music and videos in the next few months which can be found on his Instagram account, @theluhmont. His ultimate goal is to reach a wider audience and expand his brand to cater to different genres, he said.
