Today marks the beginning of a revolution in sound. Rebirthing the basics of quality music made up of live instrumentation blended with sonic soundscapes and poetic verses similar to a musical Michelangelo, this trap music renaissance is spearheaded by Georgia-born rapper/ producer Le$ane Crooks. With soul-driven production steeped in the passion of the Baptist church, lyrical depth reminiscent of a modern-day Shakespeare and an infectious flow dripping with style, this multi-dimensional frontrunner is on his way to ushering in a revitalization in rap music.

His first move in this emerging movement is releasing and pushing, An mid-tempo track accented by a mesmerizing melody and Le$ane Crooks captivating cadence, the song is only a small sample of what is next to come. And he will truly change the game with flawless follow-up single.

“I’m bringing a different feeling to the music,” Le$ane Crooks explains. “I’m bringing a soulful sound to hip hop and bringing soul to trap music to make a sound that is all my own.”

Born in Columbus, Ga. (some 100 miles South of Atlanta), the man most known as Le$ane Crooks has been around music for as long as he can remember. Around the house, his grandmother played Otis Redding and Johnnie Taylor. His father was into rap, and his mother was a fan of 90s R&B legends Jodeci and Brandy. But on Sunday mornings, it was all gospel.

His dad played drums for the church and with several gospel groups, so naturally, the youngster soaked up everything he could from his pops. At age nine, his father enrolled the young protégé in piano lessons, and around the same time, young Le$ane Crooks began to play the drums from the lessons his father gave him.

“It was fun growing up in church with my family and listening to all the music,” Le$ane recalls. “I remember being younger and right there with my dad, watching him play with the other musicians.”

Before long, the son began following in his father’s footsteps and began playing in the church. And during he summer months, he would even go on tour with the bands. 

“Musical talent is something you’re born with. It’s something that’s in you,” Le$ane  contends. “It’s something that I don’t have to think about. When I first started playing, I just got in there and started playing. It’s a gift from God.”

By the time Le$ane made it to high school, his musical tastes began to mature. He built a studio in his room at 16 and merged his foundation of live instrumentation with FL Studio music program. This magical mixture created a sound like nothing ever heard before. 

“In my music, I try to be real musical. I use a lot of real instruments,” he says. “Growing up in the church and hearing all this different music rubbed off on me.”

Le$ane started a YouTube page where he posted his instrumentals and sold the beats online. For three years straight, he leased tons of beats until one day, he had an epiphany. 

“I wasn’t really feeling a lot of the songs that people were making with my beats,” Le$ane Crooks reveals. “I didn’t feel like they were doing my beats justice. I felt like I’m the only one that can do it justice. The rappers weren’t cutting it so I started getting into rapping to do it myself. From there, I just fell in love with it.”

Over the next several months, Le$ane slowly leaked his songs online to rave reviews. “At that point, I wasn’t all the way taking it seriously,” he reveals, “but people were listening to it and telling me it was fire so I had to take it seriously.”

Taking it seriously resulted in his debut single taking off like wildfire. In less than a month, the single has been place in rotation on several Georgia radio stations and quickly gaining momentum throughout the Southern region. The perfect setup for follow-up single Le$ane Crooks is well on his way to reawakening lyricism and musicianship.

“I bring a different feel to the music because lyrics are important to me. I grew up studying hip-hop,” says Le$ane. “When you listen to a lot of music today, it’s computerized. To me, you’ll never be able to replace the feeling of a real instrument. You’re putting your soul into it and that comes across in the music.”

LE$ANE CROOKS