Lafayette Lewis goes by the producer name Small Literature. I first got in touch with him through IG and he made a The Healer Hip Hop remix for me which I was supposed to play in this epsiode. But I ended up choosing a song from his latest album instead.

That album – Kind of you – is dedicated to his sister who passed away last year around the same time I received my gift to second chance at life. That’s why I feel a special connection to him and his music about her. I dedicate this episode to his sister.

From Hip Hop to Rock and back

Small Literature is from St. Petersburg, Florida, so he grew up predominantly around Southern Hip Hop Rappers such as  Mystikal, Master P, T.I. etc.

Starting High School, he also came in touch with Rock Music, e.g. Fall Out Boy, Creed, but also classics like Led Zeppelin and the Pixies. From there he transitioned to discovering all types of music across all genres and eras.

The name Small Literature was originally meant for a band, but it ended up becoming his producer name. 

Your music should reflect your personality

Producing came natural to him, because he had always been passionate about listening to every detail of music. Some of his favorite producers are Madlib, J Dilla, The Alchemist and Oddisee.

He puts out a lot of music (just look at his IG) because he has found a formula that makes him able to produce a beat quickly. Also, he found that in the 60’s bands used to put out 5 to 6 albums a year. To Lafayette  it’s not just about creating the perfect album, but also documenting the journey of the creative process to that perfect album. 

Favorite Music

Lastly, Lafayette is my go to person for musical inspiration – new and old! On each of my playlists there is at least one song or artist that I got to know through him. His favorite artists at the moment are Black Milk, The Alchemist and Tokimonsta:

In the future, he plans to have artists sing to his beats, so feel free to contact him through his Bandcamp or IG!

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