I got an opportunity to speak with LORD RA about his process making some of his latest album TAKE THE EDGE OFF, his inspiration, and the current state of Arizona’s Music scene. There are not many self aware artists with these kind of punchlines or voices, I encourage you to sit back, turn on Zen Garden Pt. 2, and read this through for the 1 time.
“Pardon this life shit, lets be us”
J1k: First off, can you introduce yourself for anyone who isn’t up to speed yet?
Ra : Yeah, My names Lord Ra I’m from Westside Phoenix, Arizona and I’m on LGDA Records.
J1k: The first song I heard of yours was Zen Garden Part 2. That name is great, I also love the drum break that kicks it off, the guitar chords are incredibly relaxing as well. What was the process like when making this song, and how much of a part did you play in production?
Ra : Ayy, that’s not a bad first song to hear from me at all! The process on this one was a little different compared to the other tracks on this project. I was still in school at the time and was always finding time in the morning to talk to this girl and finish this song. Our conversations were pretty deep and morbid. Both parts of “Zen Garden” were meant to be exercises in getting lost in one thought and seeing were it goes, on Pt.2 I focus on my mortality and I choose to go there after countless mornings talking to lady love. I took one of our last conversations we had about how me and this girl first met and it was a pretty bad first impression on my part so it made me think about how I wanted to be remembered on the day of my “send off”. I imagined if I would have died the next day and that’s all she has of me is this image of a dumbass, undeveloped, 15 year old kid you know? That thought made me run back memories I shared, good and bad, with a lot of people close to me and the song made its itself at that point. I took no part in the beat but I can say Butcher Brown is a crazy talented band and more power to ’em!
J1k: Songs with a backstory, where you spend days perfecting it based on a thought you can’t get rid of, are always special. Your delivery on this project is great, and the energy you bring to the table on some of these tracks is undeniable. When and why did you start making music?
Ra : I started writing as early as 8-9 and started recording around 15. I was always writing poems and watching KOTD (King of the dot) I know those don’t sound like the best mix (lol) but I was into creativity in my punchlines and watching that helped a lot. I always found writing to be my niche weather it was writing stories for my teachers in elementary or fake magazines for myself all through middle school, making music in high school just seemed like the logical next step.
J1k: I can see you appreciate good music and respect the process of making it. Some of my inspirations include people like Klnv, Misogi, early Tyler the Creator, Icytwat, and a bunch of other producers. Who are some artists you listen to that inspire you to make the music that you do?
Ra : I like this question a lot so it might be long winded. Isaiah Rashad, Mick Jenkins, Mos def, Mf doom, Slator Blacc, Noname, Black thought, Tyler, the creator, Earl sweatshirt, Kilo Kish, Ms.Lauryn Hill, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, Earthgang, Norman Connors, Amy Winehouse, Mac Miller, Kendrick Lamar, Andre 3000, Bjork, Big Boy, Johnny Cash, Silkk the shocker. The list goes on forever I’ll never be satisfied but this will do for now. They all have a raw honesty about themselves that I respect and try to implement into my music as well. You’ll hear more of these influences in later projects as well.
J1k: Long list of inspirations is only a good thing my man, Noname, Mac Miller, Mick Jenkins, Earthgang, and MF are some legends for real. Can’t wait until you drop some more I will definitely be paying attention. For a long time it was hard for me to find artists from Arizona in general, now I see people from Tempe, Tucson, Flagstaff, and mostly Phoenix popping up on my socials and on sound cloud. How do you feel about the future of Arizona’s music scene?
Ra : Arizona is in a great place as far as the timeline of music in general. Everything is versatile including the sound of music and the audience it attracts. With Arizona not having many roots in Rap or Hip hop its tight we (meaning black people, honestly) get to show our culture beyond the rock scene that’s been previously prevalent here. Don’t get me wrong rock is a black art form too and I love it for the space its created for many of us but were so much more and can take it further beyond belief. Shout out everybody making their way out here too especially those from Phoenix, I see you. And no, not just the black artist, just especially them.
J1k: When I see someone working on a unique sound, appreciating the art in music, and spreading positivity, my end goal is to help give that person a slightly louder voice. It is a shame how most minorities are being treated at and inside our borders under the current administration. I believe this genre-less age of music will help push the culture forward. How did you get the name Lord Ra? Was this your first alias?
Ra : I ran through a few, my first was Kidd Punn cause I was good at punchlines (listed to a lot of Wayne back when I made that one). I had one before Kidd Punn but I can’t remember it. Lord Ra came around the same time I started recording music and it was inspired by love history. at 13 I started studying Egyptian history and its many deities. I came across Lord Ra(Re) and his significance/contribution to the lives of his people was something that intrigued me. I wanted my perception to be similar as far as how my music would touch people. I wanted to be as impactful as sun rays.
J1k: From a listener’s perspective your punchlines and content are of much higher quality than some of these artists with huge record deals and big labels backing them. What can we expect to see from you the rest of 2019?
Ra : The rest of 2019 expect a lot more work of all shapes and sizes. I’m always working.
J1k: This about wraps it up for now, I hope to talk with you again soon brotha, feel free to give some shoutouts.
Ra : Appreciate it man! Shoutout to LIVE GREAT, the beautiful city of Phoenix, and my momma Nicole for making me who I need to be. LUV!