Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucas Roth.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I bounced around a bit growing up in Michigan. My parents worked a lot during my early childhood, so my aunt took care of me most days in Detroit. As I got a bit older, my family moved out of the city center into the metro Detroit area. There were two things I loved as a kid – music, and sports. I was always with friends listening to music, hitting up concerts, being active outside, attending games, etc.
I had a lot of musical influences growing up, but these are the main three guys that shaped and inspired my path:
1) Ludacris – The dude’s a lyrical genius, and better yet, most of his tracks have that lively, positive vibe about them rather than solely preaching anger and violence. He took hip-hop and did the same thing I want to do with it – have FUN. He has tons of bangers and is still a good guy when it comes down to it, which is tough to find. Plus, those flows are insane.
2) Eminem – Again, another lyrical god. I’m from Detroit, so he was a legend to us. I’ve seen him live multiple times and can’t say I’ve seen many people as invested in their music as he is. You can tell everything he says is real by the energy he brings in every track.
3) Dr. Dre – He revolutionized the sound of hip-hop. Bringing the old school and new school together. Classic samples and a bumpin’ 90s drum kit – hell yeah. He was a mastermind of combining extremely catchy leads with groovy drum patterns. He shaped a mold for many other artists that evolved in the 90s, 2000s and today.
When I was 12 years old (back in ’03), I went to see Eminem perform live at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. Watching him hold the mic out and feeling the energy of the crowd shouting his words back to him made me want to make music. He’s so passionate when he delivers every word, and I know he wrote his own material too. It’s wild to bring that many people together at the same moment, as one.
I sang a bit in high school and dabbled with some backroom beats in college, but was always uncertain of how to jump into the game. I still had some material when I met my producer Stewart Hidalgo out in L.A., and he saw something in me. Granted, I was pretty inebriated when I rapped for him the first time, but he heard something he liked.
We talked about working together, and in 2017, we started recording to see what was good. He had the knowledge of what it took to get into the music industry and still continues to make me a better musician every day. We completed the debut album and released it during the summer of 2018, and have since released a few singles and several music videos.
I studied Advertising and Integrative Public Relations at Central Michigan University, and I’m obsessed with creativity. I like to be involved with the concept from start to finish, always including my producer and editor to fully hash out ideas and discuss what can be done visually. Finding those few people who help me fulfill my vision (and even expand on it sometimes) was a blessing.
This goes into my videos, my ads and all of my promo work, and it’s awesome to tackle all the pieces of the puzzle myself. All of my songs are based upon real-life experiences that I’ve been through, which makes them feel more real. Writing down memories to share with the world so they can relate is fascinating to me.
It’s that common ground that we all find that makes music come to life. I’ve always loved music as a feel-good source, and I always wanted to make others happy. Nothing motivates me more than seeing people smiling and having fun while I’m performing or they’re just listening to my tracks. When I can instill some positive energy in people with something I created from scratch, it’s an amazing feeling.
It’s all about bringing people together to enjoy the moment. I’ll tell you that I appreciate all genres of music, and you may ask, why Hip-Hop? Hip-Hop is a culture, a movement. It brings people from all different races, ages, and socioeconomic classes together for a shared interest in expressing themselves through music. Some people dance, others sing. Some know all the words, others only love the beats.
Nonetheless, when you bring all these people together, their differences aren’t seen because it’s all about the music taking control to have fun. And again, that’s the main reason I started making music – we’re here to have fun, together. I plan to keep creating and sharing my journey, and I openly invite anyone that brings that positive vibe to join me.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I’m an optimist, so I’m always going to say we’re moving forward and never dwell on the past. But naturally, there are always going to be speed bumps in life. Some struggles I’ve faced as an upcoming artist are finding the right avenues to push my music and book worthwhile shows. So many people are striving to be artists, and music consumers can only ingest so much.
There are way more avenues to reach the masses now thanks to social media, but even that has become flooded and is difficult to break through. A lot of people in the industry are flaky, and it’s hard to trust people who more than likely just want to use you or take a quick profit or idea and then leave you hanging.
I’m so grateful to have met my producer and have someone to push forward with. It’s an unbeaten path for the most part, but that’s what makes it fun!
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am a songwriter, rapper, singer, producer, editor, composer, designer, writer and I won’t bore you with other titles. I specialize in creativity, through these various outlets.
I’m most proud that I was able to take ideas and make them become a reality. My personality is what sets me apart from the rest, and if you don’t buy that, let’s kick it, and I’m sure you’ll see what I mean.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
In my mind, success is defined by your personal happiness and self-fulfillment. You don’t need all the money, glitz and glam to be happy. Setting yourself goals and tackling them is a measurement of success.
I have vague markers in my mind regarding growth in fans and streaming numbers but would rather focus on becoming a better musician day in and day out.
I’ll continue to build my repertoire of music and keep a good attitude about everything. I did what I set my mind to, will continue to do so, and that makes me successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lucasrothmusic.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucasrothmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucasrothmusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lucasrothmusic
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6a_z-2PtrpwB70MGyoOmBg
Image Credit:
Cameron McGill, Stewart Hidalgo, Brenda Rothstein & Ramsey Aguilera
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
