Those who are unfamiliar with “purpose music” might want to familiarize themselves with Lamont Edwards, better known by his stage name, L.E. Purpose.

He calls himself a “relatable substance hip hop rapper.” Edwards explains:

“I do not rhyme about guns and drugs. I’m trying to instill that community essence back into hip hop and into music, when there was love, energy, and positivity in rap, and not material conflict.”

His goal as a rapper is to reinvent hip hop music and give listeners a perspective that strays away from its usual image of “gangsters” and “saggy pants,” he says.

"To turn up is cool. To go to the clubs is dope. To make singles for shaking and twerking, that's awesome. But when it comes down to it, the the nitty gritty of it, we're taking away from our future creators and leaders. We're hindering the minds of our geniuses."

He says purpose music offers a perspective other than the norm when it comes to thinking of hip hop. The purpose for his music is to bring back the art that was taken away by the stereotype. “Music and hip hop used to feed the soul. It used to make you feel good, and not for a moment, but forever. It was timeless.”

LE Purpose was recently nominated for the “Massachusetts Solo Music Artist Of The Year,” by Bridging the Music. In April, he will leave his native Amherst for a week-long trip to the west coast to take part in Mission Underground Los Angeles, in addition to performing at local shows in Northampton and Worcester.

Find LE Purpose online at
lepurpose.org
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter

Featured image courtesy of Ken Hohenberger.