Damian Lillard started an Instagram competition called 4 Bar Friday a year ago, just before the start of the 2013-14 season. What started as 15-second rap videos has now turned into a community of people who love hip-hop. This month, one of the frequent participants, L. E. X, entered a contest to get a deal with Sony Music. To show that 4 Bar Friday is more than a competition, the Portland point guard showed his support to the Milwaukee-based rapper with a post on Instagram and Twitter.

L. E. X had over 600 votes in the contest and was the only rapper to be in the top 10 in fan voting. He will have to wait until mid-August to hear if he is selected by the judges to win the overall competition, but to him, Lillard’s support goes beyond the record deal.

“After seeing his posts for me on Instagram and on Twitter,” he says, “it was like, ‘Wow, even if I don’t win this competition, I get support from this dude.’”

L. E. X found out about 4 Bar Friday in December and has participated every week since. For him, it just started as something fun, but as he was getting positive feedback, it encouraged him to keep posting. He has been chosen as a winner of 4 Bar Friday at least 10 times.

He met Lillard in person when the Trail Blazer hosted the #4BarFriday party at All-Star weekend in New Orleans. It was a rap battle co-hosted by deejay and producer Mannie Fresh. L. E. X and seven other 4 Bar Friday contestants were flown in to participate in the battle and enjoy the events of All Star weekend. L. E. X finished second place in the battle.

Lillard grew up in Oakland and was surrounded by hip-hop culture. His early favorite artists included Nas and Juvenile and now he vibes to J. Cole and Drake. He started rapping in high school and kept it up as his hobby with his basketball career. He told CSNNW.com that he could make it platinum in a rap career.

Lillard launched the first 4 Bar Friday in September before the 2013-2014 season tipped off. When Instagram introduced the ability to post videos on the photo app, he saw an opportunity to have some fun and instituted some rules for users:

1.) Videos must be submitted via Instagram.

2.) No foul language, let’s keep it PG.

3.) Weekly submissions only eligible if created on Friday.

4.) Must be hashtagged using #4barfriday.

The 2013 Rookie of the Year watches the videos himself, picks the best submissions and posts the top four videos to 4barfriday.com. Since its inception, other NBA players have tried their hand at spitting, including Paul George, Harrison Barnes, LeBron James, and Iman Shumpert, who has his own mixtape. Even Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts got in on the fun.

The 4 Bar Friday competition has become its own brand. The 4 Bar Friday social media pages have thousands of followers along with Lillard’s own Twitter and Instagram accounts that each have 400,000+ followers. In recognition of the popularity of the contest, Lillard was given a pair of adidas customized with his 4 Bar Friday lyrics.

Lillard told XXL Magazine in October that he is happy with the success of the competition. “When I thought of it,” he says, “I thought it would be a pretty good hit. It still ain’t got to where I want it to be, and it’s early. Honestly, I didn’t expect people to jump on it this fast.”

L. E. X agrees that the competition is expanding and has high hopes for its future. - HIPHOPDX

While watching him walk through the hallway, swinging a headphone cord everyday, I would say, “Hi, Alexis,” in which he would reply, “Call me Lex.” That was high school, and the shy, yet charming young man in 2009 has developed those characteristics for a career in music and live poetry in 2015. As a self-proclaimed “clean rapper,” Lex’s music reveals an existence of hip-hop outside of explicit controversy. Although Lex hesitates to label himself a “gospel rapper,” his intent on leaving curse words, sex, and violence out of his work reflects a young man inspired to achieve what his faith permits. However Lex chooses to label his ministry of music, taking on the stage name, “Lex Da Rapper,” reminds me of those moments in high school when everyone wanted to know the name of the “cool kid” with the headphones and backpack. With an album releasing next month and classes picking up at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, I spoke with Lex on his plans to not only continue creating art as “Lex Da Rapper,” but his goals to remain a successful young man as Alexis Dean.

Can you describe what being a “clean” hip-hop artist means?

I think it means not being explicit, as far as, not making music about sex, promoting violence, and promoting negative things to the world. I think my clean music is universal, like it’s something that everybody can listen to. So, that’s how I define “clean,” as something everyone can listen to and enjoy.

What is the significance of clean hip-hop to the music industry?

I think, as far as, what I’m doing with my clean music is that it opens a lot of eyes. A lot of people feel like you have to be a certain way to become a big artist these days. Like, you have to talk about sex because sex sales, or you have to sell drugs and you have to, blah, blah, blah. I think me being a clean artist shows people that you can be yourself if you don’t curse a lot, and you can continue to make good music without fitting into the norm and the mainstream. I’m just trying to show people that it’s a different route to being successful in music.

Do you think clean hip-hop is the same as “gospel rap”?

That’s kinda my biggest difficulty [laughs]. When I tell people I’m a clean hip-hop artist, they immediately assume I’m a gospel rapper. It’s not completely different, but I think it’s different because—and not to diss any Christian, or religious artists—but my music isn’t really preachy. It doesn’t have scriptures in it a lot. It’s just great music that you can listen to that you would hear from a J. Cole or Lupe Fiasco, but it doesn’t have the cursing in it. I think it’s two different worlds [laughs].

What inspires you to create?

Right now, my movement is “Dreams Start Young,” and what inspires me a lot is people and everyday life in the world. I get a lot of my stories that I tell from watching other people, or stories about people that I love and care about or saw online. I like to write stories for people who feel like they aren’t able to lyrically write for themselves. A lot of my music is inspired by other people.

How did you get your start in music?

Well, when I first started, I used to make music on my computer. I used to have this really cheap computer mic, then I would put something over it, and just rap on that. The program was called, “super duper music looper.” I would just rap on there, on my computer, and just record my raps for fun. Eventually, someone at my high school asked if I wanted to perform at a talent show because she heard that I rapped, and after that first performance is when I really started getting serious, and felt like I can really do this. I can really be a hip-hop artist. So, I started with poetry, and then it elevated , and I really started getting into music.

Do you have any other talents, special or hidden?

Well, one of the talents that other people see I have is basketball. That was my first dream, my first dream of wanting to be somebody. I wanted to be a basketball player, and me not making my high school basketball team after I tried out maybe 3 times, I was just like, forget it, I’m gonna see what else, or what other talents I can do, or focus on because this probably isn’t what God has planned for me. I ended up getting more serious into music, writing, and poetry. But basketball was my first love.

How would you measure your success thus far, or would you even define what you’ve been able to do with your music as success?

Umm…that’s a good question! I think that I am super successful for being a 22 year old—who is about to be a 23 year old. Because I’ve juggled so much, people don’t know that I’m not just a rapper, I’m also a college student, and I’m also a teacher for preschoolers. I do all of these things at one time, while trying to maintain happiness within my family, so I think I’m really successful for all of the things that I juggle and try to do. I still have dreams that I still want to reach, but I feel like I’ve accomplished so much, and I still have so much to accomplish.

Would you measure your success for the future?

That’s kinda like a balance that I’m in right now because being signed was my biggest goal. Like, I want to be signed as an artist. And that’s what I was thinking about doing after that time I took my semester off from college, being signed. Because that was my goal, if I haven’t reached that goal, I’m not being successful right now. But I kinda changed that mind state, and the more conscious I get, the more I just want to get a lot of exposure and reach a lot of people, and inspire a lot more people. So, I think I’m being really successful, but as far as where I want to get, I want to inspire a lot more people. I want to show people that you don’t have to be signed to affect thousands of lives, so I’m getting closer and closer to where I want to be.

Are you working on anything now?

Yep! Friday and Saturday, I’m wrapping my album. Everything’s written, and I’m just recording in 2 days, getting it mastered, then it should be done. This one is called, “Dreams Start Young 2: The Underdog,” which is the second part to my first album. It should be released on March 27th of this year.

That is an interesting title because you talk a lot about age in your music, so would you say other politics like race or gender, play a huge role in your music?

I think with me working with kids a lot, “Dreams Start Young” is inspired by the kids. I had a kid in one of the first classrooms that I worked in, and he would tell everybody that he wanted to be a firefighter, and no one could tell him that he could be anything else [laughs]. So, I noticed that with kids, they have these dreams, and as they get older and older, they start losing these dreams because reality really hits them. So, in my music, I try to speak to people and tell the people, if you have a dream, you can do it, no matter how much people tell you that you can’t do it. No matter what, it’s gonna be somebody that doesn’t believe in you or have the vision that you have. A lot of my music isn’t really catered to the young people, but they can relate to it a lot because they’re probably in this stage like, I have this dream that nobody else sees. But as far as, Dreams Start Young, it’s kinda like a double entendre, it has two meanings. It’s like, dreams start when you’re young, and also means that dreams start off small, then as you get older and grind more, your dreams get bigger and bigger, and grow with you.

The reason I ask about race specifically, is because it is Black History Month, so what does Black History mean to you, or as a rapper, and artist in general?

I recently just performed at a Black History Month event. It was actually a ball at UWM, and I performed this piece that I wrote called, “For The People.” For some reason, I felt really more in touch with myself and my race performing it there than all the other times that I’ve performed. And I think it’s because of all the stuff happening in Ferguson, and all of these stereotypes that people label, as far as black people. It was nice to be in a setting where it’s strong, educative, and beautiful black people in the same states. I think a lot of people who are racist and don’t see us as beautiful people, they don’t get a chance to see all of this positivity that we put together and we do. So, I think, for the first time in my album, I’m really starting to speak more about being black and being stronger, and wanting to be a good role model. Not only for people in general, but also, for my black brothers and sisters who are looking up to me. I want them to see that a lot of people aren’t going to doubt us just because of our skin color, and we can be great and powerful people, no matter what. - SisKahrima

L.E.X gets his music video "Dreams Come True" on to Truly The Last Stop blog site! - Truly The Last Stop

L.E.X gets his new single "Story of My Life" and career reviewed, and song played on the radio in Atlanta! - NGA-Atlanta Radio

L.E.X gets his new single "Story of My Life" written and produced by him for his new mixtape "A DayDream" featured... - Fashodoe Music

The reason why education is important to me is because without it life is difficult to move forward in, and live a life of success. Also, without education I can't keep improving my craft.
I love to write music and poetry for the people I'm trying to inspire as a Hip-Hop artist, which is important me. - GiveUsAChance

 I didn't just start off as a non-explicit 19 year old Hip-Hop artist named L.E.X. When I was little, it was just me as Alexis Dean who always played basketball. Until the age of seven when I lost my father, Diesel (Alexis Dean Sr.), a rap artist from Milwaukee, WI. After this happened, I internally used basketball and music to reconnect with him, so in middle school I began to get interested in making music for fun. It went from constant freestyling and making simple beats, to finally writing my own songs and making my own beats. Basketball was still my first love, but when I was refused to play for my high school basketball team by the coach I used my spare time writing poetry, and soon converting it into songs. At the age of 16, I did my first two open mics, and after that my performing increased rapidly. In just my year of being seventeen, I won two talent shows, performed in over seven shows that summer (including for a crowd of 500+), began to work on my debut mixtape "PURE" (which released 01-01-10 and included songs produced by me), and also got the opportunity to write a song for two schools including my high school Rufus King. My accomplishments are rising, fan base is rising, statistics are rising, and my exposure is rising. Especially with the release of my second mixtape "RollingStone" on 9/11/10, EP "DOPE" featuring all original music, and blog sites exposing their viewers to me, and being on a television show called Spectrums. Being that I'm still only a teenager, the sky is the limit. After working with a producer of Bow Wow, and collaborating with various artists and doing features I'm just trying to see a bright future ahead and continue to grow. Even though I have my "own swag" that I feel I bring to Hip-Hop, like me not cursing or speaking explicit at all, my inspirations are Tupac Shakur, Lil' Wayne, Eminem and J. Cole with lyrical similarities to Lupe Fiasco. There have been many influences in my life, but the biggest ones are the artists that didn't make it to “superstardom” because those artists never gave me any personal influence. The two artists who influenced me the most were my father Diesel, and currently my uncle and mentor Blade 2000. Only time will tell what is next for me, but hopefully I'll continue to inspire kids who have big dreams. - NGA Radio

As part of its “Let’s Fest!” campaign, Summerfest recently invited the unwashed musical masses to compose a song that extols the virtues of The Big Gig, and/or “festing” in general. Various prizes await the winners of the Summerfest Songwriters Project, as does the undying respect from goofy jingle writers statewide. It’s a fine idea, and since the contest ends May 31, we thought it was high time to take a look at some of the entries.
Well, judging from a cursory search on YouTube, there have been only two entries. But the two we did find are pretty interesting, and indicative of Summerfest’s broad appeal.
Up first is “Let’s Fest” by Milwaukee rapper L.E.X. It’s a slick, sparkling club track, and includes shout-outs to Kanye West, Miller Light, and the Skyglider. “414, this is who they do it for!” proclaims the 19-year-old rapper, right after he finishes rattling off the names of Summerfest performers past and present. (Stevie Wonder! Sheryl Crow! Toby Keith!) - AV Club