Interview: Houston Rap Artist Troy Lux Talks About His New Mixtape "Southern Wonderland"
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Congratulations on the completion and release of your new mixtape "Southern Wonderland". Tell us about your creative process for the development of the project.
Thank you! My goal with “Southern Wonderland” was to create a time capsule that was reminiscent of Southern hip-hop when I was growing up. I wanted to make a world that housed several elements that the south brought into music. I wanted it to feel like home, like something that I’m familiar with.
Each song creates its own personal realm so that it feels like you’re walking into a different setting for every track. It’s supposed to be representative of what being from Houston/The South felt like from my very own perspective.
What were you looking for when it came to the beats that you selected for the mixtape?
When it came to beats, I was looking for ones that had a southern flare to them, but also I didn’t want to limit myself to one specific sound.
I wanted to tell a story through the beats themselves, so I chose beats that reminded me of events or things that I’ve experienced. Like the beat for “Albino” reminded me of an HBCU football game. And the beat for “On My Way” felt like a night with your friends after after everybody gets lit and starts freestyling on the way home!
Were there any songs that you worked on that you decided to not include on the mixtape? If so, why?
Yes! Some songs just didn’t fit the overall feeling of the tape, and others got molded into something greater.
At a point I was just making a bunch of songs and I was like “Wait, you can’t put everything on there!” So I decided to cut the excess and we still ended up with 15 songs!
Can we expect any visuals to be made from the mixtape's songs?
Absolutely! I’m actually working on something at the moment, but I do plan on doing at least three or four videos for the tape in total.
How did you decide which songs that Nikiajnae, GodIsMikey and Jay Chose would be appearing on?
They all have pretty distinctive styles so when I did certain songs I immediately knew who I wanted to put on what. Nikiajnae has a very soul inspired sound so I knew something with a chill vibe would be perfect for her. GodIsMikey has a bold delivery style so I knew that he would devour “SOS” because it had a bold and rowdy feel to it. And Jay Chose has such a smooth yet trap feel to his music, so “Iceland” was right up his ally.
With the mixtape now released, what are your goals musically for the remainder of 2020?
I’m always working on new music. So there may be another project before the year is over. I’ve been exploring different sounds and genres that I’ve never tried, but my main goal is to get into producing. I really want to see if I’m cut out for it.
Read our review of the “Southern Wonderland” mixtape HERE