Lafayette – “Time” and “Cash Getting”

Akron, OH native, Lafayette, now residing in Los Angeles County California, is currently riding a wave of enthusiasm as he gets ready to release his debut mixtape “A Time To Be Alive”, set to drop the summer of 2020. The rapper who has a music distribution deal with Empire Music of Universal Music Group, has been releasing a bunch of singles to whet appetites and stimulate fans of the genre. Lafayette is now taking that momentum and harnessing in preparation of his fully-fledged project. This is an exercise that will bring the artist from the fringes of underground acclaim right into the bigger playground.

Lafayette has revisited the Fabolous formula on “Time” ft. Roddy Ricch and transposed the elevated and luscious instrumental into a backdrop for his own personal rumination on the resilience of the heart in the face of adversity and the ability to heal from pain.

Spoken from the view of Lafayette, there is both sincerity and immovable belief in his eternal love proclaims, no matter what. Lafayette’s commitment to eradicating even the faintest sign of complacency is one of the main attributes that makes “Time” such a compelling listen.

Throwing down snappy punchlines and heartfelt promises, Lafayette delves headlong into the bars, anticipating the melodic hooks, and working his way around every facet of the modern hip-hop production that he can slink round. Showing a knack for touching on matters of the heart, Lafayette’s passionate versus become emblazoned on this track. Love and its many manifestations permeate through innately catchy choruses and expertly realized bars.

Next up, Lafayette lays his tongue on the CMPLX produced beat in “Cash Getting”. The track excels in depicting Lafayette as both aspirational in the nature of his lyrics here – “I keep my eyes on the money nigga. If being broke is a joke, then you a funny nigga” – and inspirational in his refusal to accept the diminished stature that so many underground rappers continue to languish in – “Dreams are being broke again, I ain’t got time to sleep.” It screams triumph over inertia, as Lafayette relays the truths of life, so we can never doubt his authenticity. He has pristine pen game.

Undeniably gifted and creative beyond measure, Lafayette is a most intriguing figure. Lafayette sits alongside the best lyric writers and spitters out there in the underground, and the knowledge of his craft, has given him an undeniable amount of polish in breath control and charismatic delivery.

Lafayette knows the production that benefits his lyricism; he knows the features that complement his songwriting. Every sound and voice complements the world he’s creating; a world that is sonically vibrant and lyrically transparent.

Lafayette manages to float above the typically average standard many of his contemporaries continually work with. While it’s early to predict how fans will treat his upcoming mixtape, it promises to be an upper echelon slice of Hip-hop.