By Cameron Lee
August 12, 2024
Photo: Marc Prosper
It’s been well over a decade since Queen City’s own Lute released his landmark debut project, West1996, in 2012. The mixtape, a gritty sonic portrait about growing up in the west side of Charlotte, featured members of the Forever FC collective, where Lute got his early acclaim with cohorts Ry, Jimmy Kelso, and SchylerChaise. It was also a prelude to his debut album released through Dreamville.
West1996 landed in the ears of J. Cole, which eventually led to Lute’s deal with the label. Now, two studio albums, a platinum hit (“Under the Sun”), and countless features later, Lute is ready to perform songs from that monumental release along with his two studio albums, accompanied by a live band, in his home city.
While Lute’s 2012 project was filled with streetwise raps over raw and haunting boom-bap production depicting tales of the shadowy side of the city, his evolution as an artist and human has been immense. His 2017 Dreamville debut, West1996 pt. 2, found him ruminating over his newfound notoriety and his perceived status on tracks like “Still Slummin’”: “See this hood still the same, no matter how you view it. You got dreams, I just rather you pursue it. Just promise you never change, I don’t care just how you do it.”
Tackling personal issues with anxiety, depression, and loss on his latest album, Gold Mouf, Lute’s journey as a rapper has been unconventional, but remarkably refreshing in an era of superficial TikTok-ready songs that lack much substance. He has certainly lived up to the credo of “never changing,” continuing to be forthright about his digressions through his music.
The homecoming concert at the Neighborhood Theatre will be an opportunity for Lute to take his fans, friends, and family through his musical journey. And, while he has played shows in Charlotte as a headlining act, this will be the first where he’ll be performing tracks from West1996 along with his more recent hits from Gold Mouf and the Dreamville compilation, Revenge of the Dreamers III, with a live band.
“This show will be a little different because it’s the first time I’m performing with a band…my first [real] headlining show in Charlotte since Forever FC,” Lute said.
Lute tapped Tim Scott Jr. as the executive producer of the show who assembled a cast of Charlotte musicians like Jesse Lamar (drums), Marcus Jones (saxophone), Jalen Robinson (guitar), and Devin Brice (keys).
“We’re all really leaning into the storytelling…people have heard these stories in his music, but I don’t think he’s ever gotten the chance to be on stage at home, and just talk to his people…so I’m really excited about presenting that to the city,” said Scott.
Scott also believes it will help reinvigorate Charlotte’s hip-hop community and unite those who have supported the local music scene since the days of West1996.
“It’s going to be great for him [Lute]. But I also think it’s going to be good for Charlotte…it’s going to be good for the hip-hop community, seeing one of their own, seeing the benefits of staying true and not switching up…not trying to recreate somebody else’s sound, but being real to who you are,” Scott said.
For Charlotte drummer extraordinaire, Lamar, who will be pulling triple duty by also playing with the openers, rapper Leroy (formerly Well$) and neo-soul/hip-hop artist The Bleus, it’s a production he is proud to be the rhythmic foundation for. Multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Charles will also be playing keys for Leroy and The Bleus, rounding out an evening showcasing homegrown artists and some of the city’s most skilled musicians.
“It’s empowering to be given the opportunity, and the responsibility to play all of this music, but, first and foremost, it’s about the artist,” Lamar said. “They’re all geniuses. And they write what they write with no mistakes. So I just learned how it goes, and then we vibe out.”
It will be a concert event that Lute describes as “going to a cool jazz club.”
“I honestly just want everybody to pull up and have a good time…it should be fun.”
Lute’s “There’s No Place Like Home” homecoming show with Leroy and The Bleus will take place Saturday, August 17 at Neighborhood Theatre.
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