Lex one
Miami, Florida, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2008 | INDIE
Music
Press
“The music part of this album has taken me a little over four years to compile,” says Alex “Lex One” Cruz. “I’ve literally traveled to three countries and numerous states and cities to make every bit of this happen. I’ve moved to five different living situations, spent over $30,000 to create this, five of it via an Indiegogo campaign. I've had four different jobs during the process, broke a few hearts, had mine broken, mastered social media, learned digital marketing, and most of all found a place in the art world where I truly feel comfortable. I learned how to tell a story and create a vibe at the same time.”
Lex One — rapper, producer, DJ, and music-video director — is one of South Florida’s hardest-working hip-hop artists. A longtime player, Lex is best-known outside of our area code for his acclaimed work with alt hip-hop outfit Wizard Sleeve alongside Mike Beatz and Pusher FM.
“Not many people know that I have a gold- — now platinum- — selling single in the U.K. for a cheeseball electro hip-hop record I accidentally made with my closest friends in 2009,” says Lex. The track he's referring to is 2009's “Riverside (Let’s Go!)."
“As you can imagine, going from Joe Schmo to celebrity then back to zero again is a crazy roller coaster.”
Lex, however, has continued to grow and stay busy, releasing a number of projects while hustling to get this new effort completed. The album, Gold Plaque, is a self-deprecating riff on his struggle and an indictment on the self-aggrandizing state of hip-hop today. Deeply personal and conceptual, Gold Plaque is, as Lex describes it, “my glory, my Picasso, my Basquiat, my Shakespeare with spelling errors, my Dali minus the acid with an overpriced drink from Jugofresh with a bit of DMT — my whatever.”
Lex is already a multifaceted force. His artistry extends beyond just music. He promises the physical release of the upcoming LP will be “epic as fuck” and the release party itself has taken a life of its own. “This party is more than just an album-release party. It’s an experience I’m trying to provide the Miami hip-hop scene with. I don’t plan on just rocking the mic, holding my dick while I pace back and forth.”
Starting two weeks ago, Lex has been meeting with friends and fans around South Florida to shoot the shit and sell tickets. The tickets for the release party, like a hip-hop version of Willy Wonka, are metallic prints with rounded corners, signed and numbered — and the only way to enter the release party. The tickets are also available only through Lex himself or through one of the opening acts on the lineup, ensuring the party will be a close-knit affair. At the party itself, Lex will be giving away limited-edition gifts to lucky attendees.
Longtime collaborator Mike Beatz will be flying in from L.A. to help Lex celebrate, as well as Lucian White, Brian Breach, Pr$fit, Verbal Kush from North Carolina, Dopamine, Rello 2x, with Midwest Melly hosting and Haviken Hayes as the night's DJ.
Fans can expect videos and supporting content to start popping up after the release. “We shot a video inside Squiggy’s Pizza in downtown Fort Lauderdale," Lex says. "That was legendary. If you have ever been to downtown Laudy and got drunk, chances are you got a slice from Squiggy’s. Let’s just say we had special-effects makeup and girls getting down with pizza sauce and flour.”
Gold Plaque is a solid listen from beginning to end, and Lex has no trouble grabbing your attention throughout. While the tracks ebb and flow with different forms of fluidity — from the orchestral antics of opener “Walk Alone” to the backpack vibes of “They Know” on through closer “Believe” — all the songs can live on their own.
Whether Lex recoups his sizable investment or not, this is a legacy album and a piece of art that he can be proud of and that is worth a lot more than financial returns. - Miami New Times
South Florida’s (by way of Queens, NYC) Lex One navigates his way back onto the front pages of the DopeHouse after releasing his latest album, Gold Plaque at the top of the year.
Led by the singles “Ima Beast” and “They Know,” the album also boasts features from Lucian White, PR$FIT, Hellz Poet and Mr. Burns. Today, Lex circles back around the blog with a free stream of the album’s latest single, “I’m Sorry” — complete with accompanying artwork from Duane Planes (an artist behind portraits of A$ton Matthews, Smoke DZA, Pusha T, RetcH and more). Limited edition t-shirts and “high-quality 11×14 print of Planes’ work” can be purchased through Lex’s website, while Gold Plaque can be purchased on iTunes. - 2 Dope Boyz
Miami native Lex One stands tall to reassure why he pursues his art. Over a chilled instrumental, the latest Lucian White-assisted melody lives on One’s “Gold Plaque” album. Vibe to it, above. - Hip Hop DX
Following the success of his hilarious, over-the-top “Gettin Dough” video, Miami’s Lex One returns with some audio heat in the form of “Real Life Story.” It’s another standout joint off the rapper/producer’s great 2016 album, Gold Plaque, that’ll leave you rushing to hear the full record once the track’s over.
Fellow Floridian Creole supplies the minimalist and hypnotizing production for Lex, who uses it to his advantage as soon as he hits the mic. The beat will leave your head nodding, but it’s the emcee’s vocals and lyrics that keep you engaged. As the track’s title implies, “Real Life Story” provides a look into the reality behind the boasts and brags of the music.
Don’t get it twisted, though, because there’s some great bravado lingering within the raps here, including a slick nod to Busta Rhymes and FlipMode Squad. But Lex balances them with real-life insights and observations, even in subtle ways. Like in the first verse when he drops “I’m too manic” into a bar or later says, “All day I dream about, all the things I been without.” It’s a clever means of getting personal without becoming an open wound, and it also makes for one of Lex’s finest tracks to date.
“Real Life Story” can now be streamed, and can be purchased for download along with the remaining tracks featured on Gold Plaque, which is now available through all major digital retailers, via GTPS. - Hip Hop since 1987
Miami-based rapper/producer Lex One presents "I'm Sorry", the new single from his album Gold Plaque. In celebration of the release, Lex has released a t-shirt and 11x14 print in collaboration with Duane Planes and FAMO, available at lexone.uno. The print is 11x14 printed on a high quality pearl textured paper. Lex's previous single "They Know" was chosen to be on rotation on Shade45 after the callers unanimously voted it in, and Lex was interviewed by Sway on-air (listen). Lex featured on Sidney Samson's "Riverside" single, which went platinum in the UK (Youtube). Lex's blog getthatpaperson.com is now independent label GTPS, which recently released his album Gold Plaque featuring PR$FIT, Hellz Poet, Lyve Kaos, Mega, Mike Beatz, Lazee, Mr Burns, Simian Frenz and Miss (read Miami New Times' interview with Lex). - Hip Hop on deck
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Lex Cruz a/k/a LexOne embodies the spirit of the modern-day Renaissance man with limitless ambition. The talented Miami-by-way-of-New York artist is a rapper, music producer, deejay, director, event promoter, and indie label owner, known just as much for his wild live shows, as his business acumen. Lex got his feet wet in the music industry in 2006 when he founded GTPS (Get That Paper Son) at the former Hi-Top Studios (a hybrid recording studio and sneaker boutique) in Fort Laude in Fort Lauderdale. When days were slow, he and his musical partner Mike Beatz locked themselves in the studio, perfecting their craft and steadily building a following. While living in New York in November 2009, he received a phone call from the U.K. about a track he cut with Mike and some other friends (under the name Wizard Sleeve) that was blowing up overseas. The song, “Riverside (Let’s Go!),” caught the attention of famed label Ministry of Sound Records, who signed the group for the single, had them re-record it, and asked them to fly to London to shoot a video. What was supposed to be a 12-day, 14-show tour in late 2009 grew substantially, blossoming into a whopping 33 shows in 23 days. At the same time, “Riverside” hit numerous milestones,including becoming a gold record (more than 500,000 copies sold), staying on the U.K. charts for more than 11 weeks, and hitting number-one in multiple countries. That same year, Lex dropped a solo album and a compilation with his Monsters Ink crew, in addition to appearing on another giant single with U.K. dance pioneers, Aquasky/Black Noise. Throughout his career, Lex has worked with a number of Hip-Hop greats both on his own, and as part of his side p and as part of his side projects (Major League, Wizard Sleeve, and Monsters Ink). They include Freeway, Rick Ross, and N.O.R.E. along with super-producers such as StreetRunner and Baby Paul (of Da Beatminerz), to name a few. He has also toured with the likes of Souls of Mischief, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Smoke DZA, and has shared the stage with a slew of notable acts, like Curren$y, AZ, KRS-One, Troy Ave, Trick Daddy, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, and Kool Keith, among others. As for his own work, the year 2016 was one of his biggest yet thanks to the release of his great Gold Plaque album, which features notable singles “Walk Alone,” “They Know” (which debuted on Sway In The Morning), and “I’ma Beast.” Those tracks made sizable dents on multiple platforms, including college radio, SoundCloud, and Spinrilla. The record built on what Lex had done with 2015’s solid Almost Gold project and the previous year’s No Prisoners, a collaborative album with Mike Beatz.
Band Members
Links
