Meet Alex Ludovico

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Ludovico.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a 32-year-old black male from Gary, IN. I’ve been in LA for a little over three years. I’ve also spent time in Chicago and Atlanta.

I’ve been making music on and off for around ten years. I come from an extremely religious background, so that’s always weighed very heavily on the type of music I create.

My hometown is a very rough place, so I’ve always gone out of my way to avoid that. That behavior combined with my family’s rules lead to a tough emotional upbringing. Donald Glover put it perfectly once, “Too black for the white kids, too white for the black kids.” So, I put all those emotions into writing.

I spent hours alone in my room, scribbling my thoughts incessantly. I filled notebook after notebook with all this pent-up anger. It didn’t start as raps, but eventually, that is the form they took. I made a friend, Nick Hopkins, who grew up in the same oppressive religious organization, and we both struck out. Nick was a very talented musician who could translate a lot of those lyrics into songs.

I’ve been making music ever since. I took a 4-year hiatus during the time I lived in Atlanta. The music wasn’t flowing as easily, so I decided not to force it. Moving to LA turned out to be the creative jolt I needed. I got back into writing and recording. I was able to find my way into the local scene and make connections and meet amazing musicians.

I released a ten song project “pretend to be” in October, and the response has been pretty amazing. I’ve gotten back to performing, and it’s been absolutely wonderful…

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has been anything but smooth. I am my biggest critic. It isn’t as simple as “I think I can be better.” It’s me, tearing myself down and convincing myself I’m not good no matter who tells me otherwise. I have to constantly force myself to create. I have to tell myself that I’m dope and if I don’t believe that, no one will. I’m also a self-sabotager.

I ruin things myself so that I can’t blame anyone else for my mistakes. I’ve ruined relationships, endured a spot of homelessness, and struggled with severe depression. I also have an ongoing battle with drugs and alcohol that I’ve come to realize is quite common among people in my age bracket. I’ve battled (and won) a heroin addiction.

I still drink way too much, but I understand when to stop more these days. These are all topics I tackle in my music. I write happy songs, sure, but I prefer to deal with real-life issues. So many people who’ve been in my situation feel like they’re alone and no one understands them. I make music primarily for those people.

I’ve gotten to a pretty stable place in my life. And the only way that I was able to do that was to realize that I’m not perfect. I stopped expecting SO MUCH out of myself. I allow myself space for mistakes now. I allow imperfection. That one change has allowed me to breathe so much. It’s a lesson I try to impart on everyone I come across. Don’t take everything personally and try to put yourself in everyone’s shoes.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I make hip-hop. I make hip-hop that specializes in reaching the soul. My music tends to lean on the dark side, but that’s what I think people need sometimes.

I hope that through hearing the true depths of my pain and struggle, someone realizes they are not alone. Humanity is a dark place right now, and I hope by exposing my darkness, people can start to find the light.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career has been just the amount of people who have reached out to me over the years mentioning how much my music has helped them. People who’ve pulled themselves out of dark places by listening to my music. I’ve played sold-out shows with famous rappers, I’ve had videos with tons of views, but nothing is more important than actually reaching people to me.

I am currently working on a large benefit show before the year is out. I am a big advocate for gay rights and trans rights and Black Lives Matter. I try to only use women in my creative endeavors because I feel a personal responsibility to amplify women’s voices where ever I can.

So, with this benefit concert, and most of my shows from here on out, I am planning on giving all profits from shows to organizations I truly believe in. There’s a lot of social media justice warriors, and I’m hoping to get turn those people into true activists.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/alexludovico
• Facebook: facebook.com/alexludovico
• Twitter: twitter.com/alexludovico
• Yelp: soundcloud.com/alexludovicohiphop

Image Credit:
Andreas Branch, Stephen Brooks Photography, Xodustudios

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.