if i hadn't found lancey foux's music, my life would like very different. i say that with absolute certainty and without hyperbole. during the pandemic, i knew that i wanted to start writing about music, but at the time, i only really listened to artists you'd consider mainstream. no one was gonna read about a 16-year-old welsh kid's thoughts on kanye. one day, youtube recommended me the india music video. it opened my eyes and ears to a sound and culture i had no idea existed. more than five years on, here we are. he is comfortably one of my favourite artists of all time.
all too often on this app, i read posts and see conversations about where his legacy ranks against this person, or whether that person is having a better career than him. fuck that. i don't care to have those conversations. the impact he's had on me, and british music at large, is immeasurable. i often think about life in hell and its rollout. i don't think anything i've seen since tops it. the makeup and prosthetics. the new york pop-up. the london headline shows. the music. oh my days, the music. that project hops from techno-soul piano ballads, to rage, to rock, and back to rap without ever missing a beat. one of the greatest projects in british music history. it's that good. you could probably make a similar case for all of lancey's albums. first degree 2 has the potential to be his defining work, culturally speaking. a pulsing, energetic fuck you to label constraints and industry politicking, with proceeds donated to charities supporting independent musicians. this, my friends, is using your platform the right way.
i don't claim to know what the future holds for lancey foux. only that once his next project arrives, there's not a doubt in my mind that it will shake the foundations of this scene. true to form for an artist who for nearly a decade, has proved to be at the cutting edge of what makes british music beautiful. innovation. style. raw talent. that's something to be celebrated. he will forever be one of the greats. don't let no one tell you different.
cheers.