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Reviewed by Dan Vidal
There's something about Lazarus that brings 2Pac to mind. Actually there are several things: the drawn out syllables in the flow, the rhyme tendencies, even the allergy to upper body wear. But perhaps the most defining characteristic that the two MCs share is their introspective vulnerability. In other words, they're both real. Lazarus was arrested twice before he was 17, the second of which would have yielded a 12-year sentence had it not been for his lawyer's intervention. His childhood filled with abuse and neglect, coupled with his troubled teenage years spent in juvenile detention facilities, spawned the demons that he attempts to exorcise on "Enemy and I." - URB Magazine
Discography
"Heart Of A Hustler" (Album) Released 10-23-2008
"Enemy & I" (single) featured on the Alpha Dog Soundtrack previously released
"Heart Of A Hustler" (single) street date 2-9-2009
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Bio
Hustling the streets by day, but writing poetry at night, Lazarus listened to the rap music that filled the airwaves – namely Houston’s hardcore rapper Crime Boss. “He has been the biggest influence on my music,” said Lazarus. “He’s the real deal. He’s a rapper and a lyricist, and he rapped about the life I was living at the time.” Giving more props, Lazarus adds, “Anybody who’s true to the game knows that Crime Boss was a rapper who influenced the art form.” Other musical influences include rappers N.W. A., 8-Ball, and MJG.
At 15, he recorded his first single, “Another Day on the Hustle,” with a neighborhood rap group.
Lazarus shopped his demo tapes to record companies in Los Angeles. Witnessing the success of rappers on the New Orleans-based record label, Cash Money Records – i.e. Hot Boy – caused Lazarus to grow impatient so he started his own independent label, Lazarus Entertainment. He released his first album, “Here I Come” in 2000, and moved more than 10,000 units, hitting the road in his hometown of Lake Charles, LA and neighboring cities.
The first single released off the album entitled “Heart of a Hustler” is “Enemy & I which was featured in the film “Alpha Dogs” starring Justin Timberlake and its soundtrack.
Lazarus made his foray into acting nabbing his first lead role in a film entitled “Joshua” Heart of a Warrior.
His second release, “Heart of a Hustler,” is set to hit radio and retail. Describing his music as that influenced by the West Coast, but flavored with his deep southern roots, Lazarus’ sound tells the story of his struggle, his pain, his reconciliation and ultimately, his breakthrough.
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