Larry June Vinyl, CD & Tape

One who breathes Hip-Hop

The career of rapper Larry June can be seen as a rollercoaster ride within a ruthless music industry, years of hard work to gain attention for one’s art – or as the story of a musician who just couldn’t give up, one who breathes Hip-Hop and sees obstacles as opportunities until he makes it to the top. All of this applies to Larry June – the San Francisco native, son of a more or less unsuccessful rapper, took his first steps into music in the late 2000s during his high school years in Atlanta before moving back to his home state of California to start high school. That didn’t last long – the aspiring rapper soon dropped out of school and wanted to focus solely on music. He connected with people like Cardo and G-Eazy on Myspace early on, releasing his first self-produced full-length album in the gangsta style titled Cali Grown in 2010. Four years later, Larry teamed up with the sought-after Atlanta-born producer TM88 to release the EP Route 80, making waves in the underground, which didn’t go unnoticed by the press. The hefty and bass-heavy tape was posted online by Complex magazine and finally attracted Warner Records – for Larry, this led to a major deal for a series of EPs.

The Newcomer with an Atlanta Aura

However promising the contract was, the label was disappointed with Larry after years without significant mainstream hype. As a result, Warner Records let him go, and the rapper was back on his own. Even though in the meantime, he had delivered well: countless single and EP releases cemented his status as a promising newcomer with an Atlanta aura and a touch of self-irony – his Adlibs, partly inspired by Michael Jackson, are not the only indication of Larry’s enjoyment of the craft. In particular, his EPs Larry in 2016 and Larry TWO a year later may not have gathered huge crowds of fans, but they demonstrated his persistence and artistic dedication. He now had to finance releases out of his own pocket again after Warner Music, but that was hardly an obstacle – he also soon started opening shows for Post Malone. While the music was now more profitable for him, especially due to his regained independent position, Larry June still had to take on part-time jobs to support his newborn son. Meanwhile in his tracks, he often talks about mental health and encourages his listeners to pursue their dreams: “I think the best thing I ever did was never quit / Stay up on your grind, young nigga, you can get rich.”

Rap as a Backup Plan

Under the Empire distribution, the rapper released his milestone album Orange Print in 2021, resulting in features with giants like Joey Bada$$. “I been all ‘bout myself, tryna better myself / It ain’t all ’bout wealth,” Larry June assures us on his record, which, with its chart debut, has come a long way. In addition to numerous feature efforts, the successor Spaceships on the Blade reached number 39, and the 2023 collaboration album with The Alchemist could be considered Larry June’s breakthrough: The Great Escape garnered praise and love from all sides thanks to its immersive sound. The names on his guest verses speak for themselves, including Slum Village, Ty Dolla $ign, and Wiz Khalifa. Slowly but surely, Larry June is gaining momentum: “Rap was always my backup plan. That’s what I was always going to end up doing. I knew that. So I feel like me having that in my mind, and then never quitting, I was able to accomplish all the stuff that I wanted to do.” So, all according to plan.