The beginning
Before being Lost, Jayson Elombo was JBZ. He recorded his first songs at the end of the 2000s, then formed the collective 5sang14 with White-B, MB, Random and Capitaine Gaza, a little over 10 years ago. At the time, the group put online mixtapes and videos “which make a very modest noise in the neighborhood”. “It was really in 2015, with the rebranding, that everything changed,” says Lost. I arrived with a new name and even a new style of dress, a bit mysterious. In the clip of the first extract, 3-0 (Pass the briefcase), I had a kind of fishing hat lowered to my eyes. People didn’t directly make a connection between the two [JBZ et Lost], but it worked much better. The text was better worked, the beat and the video too. We arrived with a new sauce. »
Le changement d’identité artistique de Jayson Elombo a coïncidé avec sa sortie de prison. « Quand j’étais incarcéré, j’étais dans une grande réflexion sur les choix que j’ai faits à cette époque. Je sentais que j’étais un peu perdu dans ma vie, dans mes décisions, se remémore Lost. Je me suis dit que si j’[avais] the chance to go out, I[allais] focus a lot more on the music and I[allais] leave all other distractions behind. I renamed myself Lost so I wouldn’t forget what I went through. »
the ascent
The Cartierville MC’s conditions of release were very strict, however, and prevented him from performing or collaborating with 5sang14, which was considered a street gang. Despite everything, Lost “continued, at the rate of about one track per month”. “It was the beginning of the ascent, you could say. A second stay in the shade, in 2017, however, slowed the pace of Lost. His team and his group had however foreseen the blow and made up for the absence of one of their own by broadcasting previously recorded songs. On June 23, 2018, in a packed Club Soda, Lost came to join his friends from 5sang14 on stage, which caused an explosion of joy in the crowd.
With his freedom fully regained, Lost has released the final chapter of the trilogy of hangman mixtapes. One of his songs Iceberg, launched without video, “exploded”. “It was a big turning point in my career, because it was a different sound. I gained other fans. I went to touch another age group. I began to see people in the concerts who were the age of my parents, points out Lost. At the same time, there was also the collaboration with Souldia, MB, White-B and me, The happiness of others. The combo of the two caused a big change in my solo career. »
Lostalgik
Lost was therefore ready to offer a real album. Despite the pandemic, it offers Lostalgik in December 2020. Titles like It’s going to be bad And quibble demonstrate his versatility in terms of themes and rhythms, but his authenticity and raw poetry remain at the heart of the work. About six months later, Lost adds 10 pieces on the release 2luxe.
” I did Lostalgik in two parts. For the first, all the tracks were recorded in a period of three to six months. There 2luxe was made in a month, says the rapper. It is the album which, according to the statistics, has sold the most. There are songs that stood out, but Lostalgik, it’s the majority of the album that has been listened to, streamed. “When we ask him if there is still a song that he particularly likes, he answers:” Canadian dollars. » We agree.
Legacy
” For me, Legacy, right now, that’s my mindset. I have three kids, so it’s something a parent thinks about, Lost says. The theme also works with the other meaning, that of legacy. What I will leave behind as an artist and as a human being. That’s why there are more intimate songs in which I talk about my family. It is the cultural, spiritual and musical heritage. »
This most recent album is researched and accomplished. It is also long. Twenty-two songs for over an hour of music. Lost knows it. We often remind him of that. “I come from a time of two or three verses per track and the chorus between each. I wanted to do something different from the trend of recent years. This allows him to explore even more styles and dig deeper, irresistible Champlain Bridge to the superb F3mmes through the biting paranoid and the catchy Bandook. “I have some songs, in terms of musicality, that jump off the rails, but it’s the lyrics that connect it all. Unconsciously, I was writing on the same theme. I found the title at the end by listening and analyzing each song. Legacy is what I am currently defending. »
At the MTelus, 9 p.m.