Like a lot of his rap songs, the newest release by local hip-hop stalwart Lou CharLe$ is based on personal experiences.
CharLe$ said his late father, who died a few years ago, inspired his most recent album, the 11-track Life Goes On. That loss, CharLe$ said, allowed the rapper to look inward as an artist with the goal of unifying communities and people through music.
“A lot of the album is about dealing with grief and how you navigate through that,” he said. The album is also about “stories about relationships and when things don’t go your way.”
The genesis of the album was a 2014 recorded conversation between CharLe$ and his father that the rapper stumbled upon.
Listening through those old recordings brought up a range of emotions that ebbed between love and grief. DJ/producer Chico Santiago mixed the tracks alongside CharLe$ at Santiago’s Northside studio, Music in Focus Studio.
CharLe$ is the most recent local artist to release music on Amplify 817’s streaming platform. The album follows a string of singles released last year. The new 11-track album is now available on Spotify, and the popular wordsmith will perform some selections from the album tonight at Fort Brewery.
“Amplify 817 approached me with the idea of exclusively dropping the record, and it was a no-brainer,” CharLe$ said.
The Amplify 817 release has been well received, CharLe$ said. Physical copies of the album are available at WhoIsLouCharles.com. Charle$ performed throughout the country earlier this year — on the West Coast before he traveled to Houston, Austin, and Dallas.
“I have so many ideas I want to bring to light,” he said. “It’s something special performing at the moment and seeing it come to life, and it’s an adrenaline rush.”
CharLe$ is conscious of the music he makes and doesn’t want to be painted as a rapper who only raps about money and cars. He raps about villains and pushing Benzes, but he said that isn’t at the core of what he does.
Tonight’s show at Fort Brewery will include 817 musicians Aric Evans, Roane, and DJ Cayne.
CharLe$ said ideas are always flowing, and he is already working on his next release.
“I think I just have a story to tell, and there are people going through some of the same emotions I do,” he said. “With this album, that’s the focus.”
Lou CharLe$
8pm at Fort Brewery, 2737 Tillar St, FW. Free. 817-923-8000.
