Lute, 'Be Okay'

On his new album Gold Mouf, Charlotte rapper Lute balances aspiration with raw relatability, focusing not only on his drive for success (as evidenced by his contribution to the Revenge of the Dreamers III track "Under the Sun" featuring J. Cole and DaBaby), but also the cost of being under a microscope: the friends lost, self-doubt gained and depression setting in.

As Lute shared with WFAE in a recent interview, Gold Mouf and his emotionally-charged single "Be Okay" act as a diary for the past two-and-a-half years. With a soulfully lo-fi beat inspired by his love for smooth '90s hip-hop, Lute chronicles his struggles of building a music legacy that continues to crack under the weight of quarantine-induced sadness and "anxiety [that's] as high as the ceiling." It's only by setting aside pride – by being truly transparent with himself and the listener – that Lute is able to break the cycle by opening up about his mental health, by finding space to "be selfish with myself more" and realizing that "even when the light goes dark... it's gonna be okay, 'cause we gonna make it through."

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