Album Cover via Lex Boogie/BandCamp
Son Raw might blow up but he won’t go pop.
Lex Boogie is from the Bronx and lives in Atlanta. Senz Beat is from Brussels and lives in Montreal. Despite existing worlds apart, these two artists, quiet as kept, have been building a remarkable and expanding catalog of underground rap.
During the creation of 2017’s A Tale Of 2 Planets, the duo developed an easy rapport as producers with both a love of classic hip-hop sampling techniques as well as the more cosmic and experimental ethos of early ’00s rap. Though A Tale of 2 Planets featured Lex’s first rhymes over Senz’ production, it was the pandemic-induced lockdown that led the duo to truly lock in: the 2021 release of The Hyena Lies Heavy and 2022’s Modus Operandi cemented their collaborations as adventurous takes on a post-Roc Marciano, post-KA strain of hip-hop.
On these records, Lex’s writing moved in ever-more expansive directions, highlighting both his lived experience at the dawn of hip-hop and his relevance to the contemporary strain of boom-rap. Meanwhile, Senz’ beats flourished thanks to his mastery of both old-school MPC beats and his cutting edge use of the iOs-based Koala Sampler.
The pair’s latest album, Dharma, features Lex’s most heartfelt rhymes yet as well as Senz’ most diverse slate of beats, with highlights dating all the way back to the early ’00s. Dharma is the rare grown man rap that isn’t just a polite euphemism for “old man rap” but as Lex states below, he’s not ashamed of his grey hairs either.
To celebrate the release of Dharma, I linked up with them to break down each individual song, while discussing beatmaking, life lessons, and art’s power to communicate and heal.
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