You might be familiar with Kari Faux, an upcoming rapper/producer from Little Rock, AR, via her song No Small Talk, which was picked up by Donald Glover AKA Childish Gambino and remixed on his 2014 mixtape STN MTN. You may have heard her 2014 mixtape, Laugh Now, Die Later, which shows off her biting rhymes, nonchalant flows, and hysterical concepts, like the song Internet, in which Faux thoroughly explains how little she cares about your internet fame. You should definitely listen to her first album, which just released on April 8.
In Faux’s debut album, Lost En Los Angeles, she keeps her critical humor, approaches new subjects, and reveals more about herself through her lyrics and diverse musical backing. In Lost (Intro), the album starts with Faux speaking, “I’m not supposed to be here…but I am. I’m so thankful for you…for believing in me. There’s no one that truly understands but… that doesn’t mean you’re misunderstood.” The title track sets the mood for the album: Faux feels lost and uncomfortable in Los Angeles, but she still has confidence, a great sense of humor, and her unique voice.
Some of the standout tracks are Nada, which debuted on SoundCloud about a month before the album and holds some of Faux’s funniest rhymes, Supplier, a bass-heavy, groovy track made for riding around L.A. top-down, Don’t, a hilarious ode to the consequences of relationships getting old, Fantasy, a jazzy, funky song about Faux’s independence, and Nothing 2 Lose, a slower, darker song about hopelessness and living recklessly. Faux has said in interviews that she is greatly influenced by Andre 3000 and Erykah Badu, but in one of my favorite songs (Gahdamn) from her 2014 mixtape Laugh Now, Die Later, she mentions bumping A Tribe Called Quest on repeat, and I absolutely hear Tribe-influence in both the funky instrumentals and relaxed rhythms.
Looking at Faux from the outside, she appears to have found herself or at least certainly be on the road to doing so. By displaying a degree of confidence in her songs, yet revealing a theme of feeling lost, Kari Faux has successfully made a relatable debut album. The diversity of influences in the album’s instrumentals, from jazz to trap, combined with Faux’s clever lyrics create a collection of songs that any hip-hop fan can explore to find at least one that they love.
As an addition to the album, Faux launched the Lost En Los Angeles project, a series of interviews with fellow L.A. musicians, artists, and residents about their experiences. You can check out the project here. Faux has also hinted at releasing another project for summer 2016, to which I look forward as I continue jamming to Lost En Los Angeles.
You can purchase and/or stream Lost En Los Angeles on Apple Music here: http://smarturl.it/karifaux-it
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