Lord Apex is back and blazing once more. Having released yet another iteration of his esteemed sonic series, Smoke Sessions Vol. 4 has lit up the soundscape again. Listen close and you’ll hear the influences that set this wordsmith apart. From day one, Apex has been inspired by US hip-hop veterans, shaped by the influence of J Dilla, Madlib and MF Doom. Rising like smoke from this foundation, Lord Apex created a UK sound infused with the sonics of American hip-hop’s golden era.
With a smouldering entrance into the industry in the mid 2010s, it’s his first Smoke Sessions tape that caused his career to catch fire. Almost 10 years on, he has released his fourth – and potentially final – instalment. And it doesn’t disappoint. Both veteran and visionary, he continues to create music that is thick with nostalgia and timeless, hitting as hard as it did ten years ago, and sitting sweetly within today’s musical landscape.
Apex’s career has seen him rise from West London, globe-trotting from Japan to Australia and many places in between; he’s performed at festivals from Primavera to Glastonbury; made a mark in the fashion world, fronting campaigns and collaborating with brands from Nike to Champion. Today he proudly sits down with us – proclaiming, “GRM Daily, that’s culture!” – to reflect upon his journey. Just like his art, he’s filled with energy and full of light.
Let’s dive right in. How do you feel about your new project Smoke Sessions Vol. 4 being out in the world?
“Man, long time coming, isn’t it? I feel like this is the project that encapsulates the most intention. I didn’t wanna cut any corners, I wanted to create to the best of my capability. This time, I put my ego to the side and just thought about the music. I wanted to be transparent, to dive into the vulnerability. There’s nothing that I would have done that differently – it’s all music that I’m 100% happy with.”
You’ve said this is the final instalment of your iconic Smoke Sessions series. What made you feel like now was the right time to close out this era?
“Well, you know what… that decision is kind of up in the air, no pun intended! It’s the last one for now. I feel like Smoke Sessions is a legacy project. When I tell the story of how we created Smoke Sessions, a lot of that was me paying homage to Lil Wayne’s Dedication series. I always felt it was beautiful to have a series that you travel with throughout your life, you know? It’s like me paying homage to the art that inspired me growing up. I always said, ‘When I become an artist, I want a series or a mixtape that follows me throughout my career.’ That’s what Smoke Sessions has been for me. I can’t sit here and tell you that it’s the last though.”
So a Volume 5 isn’t off the table?!
“Nah, nah, nah! But I have other projects that I’ve started to work on, different concepts, different sounds, shying a bit further away from hip-hop. I’m trying to get back into that experimental bag. So yeah, I’m excited. This is the last Smoke Sessions for now. I just wanna show people different sides of the music, show them a bit more range.”
It’s been almost 10 years since Smoke Sessions Vol. 1 – when you compare yourself to Lord Apex back then, in what ways have you changed the most?
“I’ve definitely matured. I’m very much a hothead so I had to learn to navigate my emotions. A lot of my music is based on what I’m feeling – that ties into how passionate I am in the bars. As time goes on, I just try to be a better version of myself, man. You can teach an old dog new tricks, I really believe that.
But I come from a big family of hotheads! I come from the Windrush generation – very Jamaican, my dad’s side is Grenadian, my family migrated to Yorkshire, then moved to London. I’m from West London, Shepherd’s Bush sides, but the rest of my family have been across Bradford, Birmingham, Leeds, all of that. So my family is huge.”
I’m interested to hear more about those family roots and how they’ve shaped you.
“Man, in every way. My first inspirations growing up were my cousins. They were the coolest people in the world to me: it wasn’t the musicians I was listening to – it was my family members. Their style, how they presented themselves, even how they joked around. I grew up with a family of multiple generations, so I was listening to everybody from Beres Hammond to like my older cousins putting me onto Ludacris, Destiny’s Child, Sisqó.
I was listening to everything across the board. I was exposed to a lot of culture and it all plays into who I am and who I believe myself to be. But the main thing is, coming from a big family, I feel like you have to represent. Whenever I’m making music, it’s them that matter – they’re the ones who are proud of me. I wanna represent them in the best light.”
Alongside family, you also mentioned some of your American music influences. Tell us more about the impact of US hip-hop on your artistry?
“16-year-old me wanted to be the best in the world. And I thought, ‘If I’m gonna be the best, what do we do? We study the best.’ When I got into hip-hop, I went back and listened to the best hip-hop albums, and with those artists, I listened to their inspirations. People from Nas to Kool G Rap to Juice Crew to Big Daddy Kane. I was just studying the history, that’s how I am.”
And what are some of your earliest memories of making music of your own?
“Shout out to Rico, he’s the first engineer I ever had. Shoutout to Lowkey as well – he introduced me and my friends to this youth club where we could record music, and then every Monday we were in the studio for hours. I knew I wanted to be a rapper as a child, but the reality of truly recording wasn’t a thing… not until I saw the studio and I was like, ‘Oh, I can actually record in real life!’. And then I never left.”
At what point did you realise a rap career was actually achievable for you?
“I was recording a freestyle to MF DOOM’s, ‘Elder Blossoms’, and there was no hook on it. I rapped for like 2-3 minutes straight, I only fumbled one line in the whole thing. As I got to the end of the song, everybody in the studio emerged – it was a lot of older cats, I was still a kid at the time. Everybody was like, ‘Yo, like what was that?’ That was the first time I got a big response from lyrics that I’d written.
I used to be a quiet person – now in my older years, I’m so much more comfortable. Look, I’ve already talked your head off! But I used to be so quiet, man, so I expressed everything in the music. Back then was the first time I got a reaction like that, and then I just never stopped chasing that feeling. So even to this day, even if I’m not your favourite musician, I’m gonna say something you’ll remember.”
You’ve worked with a lot of fashion brands and your music videos stand out – what inspires you visually?
“Shoutout to my mum! We grew up loving movies, I was a big movie buff. And then I went on to college to study film for a little bit. I loved it so much that even if I didn’t do music, maybe I would’ve been like a sound buffer, the camera guy… I would’ve been assistant director, director of photography, anything behind the scenes, just because I love the game so much. So now, when I’m doing photo or video shoots, I come in from a real place of knowledge because I know and appreciate what everybody’s doing behind the scenes. I’ve always had the utmost respect for the creatives that I work with.”
You’ve been in the industry a long time, and you came up in the golden SoundCloud era. How do you feel about the way the scene has changed over the years?
“I do feel like the music space has become free rein. Now there are so many more artists coming out. Shoutout to the UK underground – it’s insane right now. But there’s so much music that it can be harder to keep your fanbase intact. With the slow burn that I’ve done [in my career], my fans have been loyal to me, even if I disappear for a while. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to use some of the independent blueprint that came before me. I still like pushing cassettes, vinyls, and merch. And I love being an independent artist.”
What do you think has allowed you to maintain this longevity?
“It all boils down to my love and passion for the music. And the people. I can still trace my career to the first three people that listened to me – David in the block across the road, one of my little brother’s friends, one of my best friends, Andre, they all believed in me. All of our brothers in school would say, ‘Nah, nah – Shaheem, he’s gonna be something’. Like my best friend – I’ve known him since we was babies – he’s always rode for me, to this day; and twenty-nine years later, it’s still the same thing. I’ve appreciated having people around me that, even when I didn’t believe in myself, they believed in me. Now I can’t let them down. I can’t let the family down, I can’t let myself down, and of course, I can’t let the fans down. That always humbles me, it brings me back to the ground, you know?”
It might be the end of this Smoke Sessions chapter, but what’s next for Lord Apex?
“I wanna dedicate the next chapter to giving 100%. I’m pledging to be the best artist I can be. But also, it’s like mind, body, soul – I wanna get fit, I wanna be in the best shape I can be so I can give the best performances, so I can be the most on-point and the most focused. I want to be as present as I can. I wanna be in a place where I can embrace any opportunity that comes my way. I would love to get into acting, art and photography too. Trying to be better in every sense of the word. The better you can be, it trickles down and multiplies, you know?”
Make sure to soak up Lord Apex’s Smoke Sessions Vol. 4 below.