Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Phillip Lucien. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Phillip, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?
My creative process started when I was about 8 years old. Being the youngest of 7 kids (4 brothers, 2 sisters), I was exposed to various types music from the 90s and early 2000s. Haitian music from the elders of our family, Hip-Hop/ R&B, Pop, Rock, Dubstep and more from my siblings, friends, and TV programs at the time. I was always surrounded by music so it felt natural once I started trying to create my own by writing freestyles to popular songs of the time. I stopped writing music for a long time after we moved out of our apartment and didn’t start up again until I was 20 or 21. At that time I was back home from a couple of attempts at college that didn’t work out and a failed long distance relationship. I took some time to reflect and think about what I really wanted to do with my life and it all brought me back to music and the creative process that I enjoyed so much. Looking back on my journey up to this point, I would have put out music I recorded a lot earlier. I thought the songs weren’t ready and I wanted them to be perfect before putting them out to the world. I didn’t like the sound of my voice and held onto the music, this was a massive mistake as those songs would have shown the growth and evolution of my sound and style to what it is today. I should have listened to my friends and family when they told me to just drop it and move on, but I was self conscious and stifled myself. But all things considered, I am at a point where I am secure in the music I’ve created and I’m ready to put out a steady supply of music.
Phillip, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Luxiid. I am an artist originally from Rockland County NY. I’ve lived in Houston for a year now. I’ve been rapping since I was a child but started taking it seriously around 2016. I found a nearby studio through a friend of mine where I was able to develop my sound and build my music catalog. I believe my songwriting and delivery is completely unique from artists of today. I don’t think anyone has heard an artist putting out the kind of content I do. As Hip-Hop and Rap have gotten so homogenous in it’s sound and content, I do my best to stick to the ideals of lyricism with a message, community, respect, justice, peace and love, all while having fun. I want listeners to come back to songs and projects and find something they may have missed the first time.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
In my view, purchasing music, merch or anything else directly from an artist is one of the best ways to show support. Having the ability to go to local shows and have direct access to artists is a way for you to have your voice heard as a supporter and have more of a real life interaction. Liking and sharing their content on social media, or a supportive message goes a long way in motivating an artist to keep creating and putting out art. Personally, I’ve made music for myself because I genuinely enjoy it, But, seeing other people enjoy it when I’m performing or hearing that someone listened to and was able to relate to one of my songs makes it all worth it.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal when I started creating was to emulate the greats that I grew up listening to. My motive evolved from just writing and learning how to write a song, to becoming more creative and descriptive. After taking a break from writing from a few years, I felt inspired to create again and I came at it from the perspective of being as honest as I can with myself and the music I put out. I rap because it’s therapeutic, I rap because it helps me put my own feelings in perspective and deal with them. I rap because I genuinely enjoy it. By the time I was about 22, I wanted to make the kind of music I wanted to listen to as a kid. The direction of mainstream hip hop today, in my opinion, has become extremely self-destructive, everything sounds the same and doesn’t give the community the same life and knowledge it used to. In my mind, nobody raps like me. I put it together like nobody else can. I want to rap for the youth and anybody who’s looking for more substance than what’s being pushed by the mainstream.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Instagram.com/luxiidliife
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Luxiidliife
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Luxiidliife?t=kzvhfnhwTP8mpIRx-VQE8A&s=09
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UClCPhUie20Vqp2Yi40fS7hg
- Other: https://linktr.ee/luxiidliife