What I Came For (EP) - La’Monte (HipHop) Retro and lo-fi vibes abound in La’Monte’s five-track EP “What I Came For” with its midtempo grooves designed for the house party. With complex arrangements, smooth rap flows and an easy-breezy attitude, the chillness of the record pulls listeners into its current, making for an excellent ‘listen all the way through’ experience. Below we dig into La’Monte and his work.
A native of Philadelphia, La’Monte focuses on groove driven funk and soul elements combined with modern drum arrangements for his particular aesthetic. There’s an old-school sensibility to La’Monte, reminding us of a fusion between early Outkast and early Pharrell productions, taking us back to the 00s and 10s. The artist specifically lists The Neptunes, Tyler the Creator, Ye, Curtis Mayfiled, Cameo and Timbaland among his influences, which all shine through on the EP. This retro feel is combined with a modern production that makes a La’Monte track as fresh as it is nostalgic.
On “What I Came For”, La’Monte hopes for a soul stirring experience, utilizing melodic soul and organic flows and sprinkling in some low key trap elements. He does this as a one-man band and jack-of-all-trades, producing, singing, rapping and playing guitar and piano.
The EP kicks off with “Afterparty”, introducing his listeners to the soundscape that will permeate the rest of the EP. The kick is round and full as old school synths set a dreamy vibe. Layered vocals introduce our artist before his smooth rap flow rides the beat. The lyrics are clever and full of references to the music of yesteryear. Hazy and relaxed, it’s a great track to settle into.
“Rage / Therapy” introduces some 8-bit video game-esque sounds for a very Neptunes feel, including a Pharrell like rap flow. His vocal performances are understated so that they meld into the music, and his melodies are earworms and easy to sing along and slip into.
“These Dream$” carries The Neptunes feel, specifically their early work with Kelis. La’Monte’s flow takes a more center stage approach here, sitting apart from the music to deliver a message about pursuing success and maintaining optimism. He will do this again in “Trophies”.
Title track “What I Came For” breaks up the EP by picking up the pace a bit—it’s a livelier track than the prior songs amplified by the tight trap tops. But when album closer “Trophies” kicks in, we get our biggest changeup in style—the flow moves to a more early Ye styling. It’s a darker track full of tension, shorter and punchier than the other songs—far more centered on the message than the overall groove.
Overall, we are impressed with La’Monte’s exploration of his nostalgic influences. The tracks have unique identities, and while the inspirations are clearly communicated, they do not feel like imitations of what came before, but rather new songs in an overall lineage. The tracks also display musicality, which can often fall to the wayside in modern hiphop productions that focus on lyrics and messaging over tight, but predictable, beats. Not to say that La’Monte doesn’t have interesting and memorable lyrics, he certainly does, but he seems much more focused on creating atmosphere and vibes that wash over his listeners and suck them into his world. We certainly were.