After his acclaimed debut single ‘16 Bit‘ back in June, experimental rapper Lan’do is cultivating the art of doing things his own way with the release of his first EP ‘Man Like Me’.
Born in Canada and raised in Jamaica, Lan’do’s family influenced his introduction to music – from his grandmother singing in the choir, to listening to his mother’s R&B collection, to listening to the likes of Capleton, Bounty Killa and Elephant Man. The artist’s dual identity colours his sound and is reminiscent of what he grew up listening to.
Lan’do has teamed up with fellow like-minded Toronto artists to form No Tourists and at the beginning of his career is already being recognized by publications such as The FADER, Complex, NOW Magazine, COLORS and NOTION among many others. Independently, Lan’do continues to compose his own solo music. In just a few months, his debut single ’16 bit’ has garnered over 25k streams and is getting radio play in Canada and the UK. With a catalogue of influences and a recipe book filled with his experimental fusions, Lan’do is not afraid to ‘hit a home run’ in his mastery of multiple genres.
The rapper is now ready to unveil his first solo EP ‘Man Like Me’ on October 14th. There are a litany of musical influences sprinkled all over the EP. “A fusion of dancehall cadences, UK flows and toronto slang spit over off kilter beats” is how Lan’do describes this project. The artist takes inspiration in names such as Ghetts, D Double E, Mez, Knucks, Ty Dolla $ign and Capleton to name a few. Lan’do uses his music as a diary where he vents and unpacks stories about how his life as a teen in Rexdale (a neighborhood in Toronto) and how it has shaped his current self.
