Charlotte, NC’s LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON announces As of Now, his debut album for Lex Records.

Across 17 tracks, OGBON shows less of the court jester of old, and more of an imperfect man reckoning with life’s pressures, past mistakes and heartbreak. The warts-and-all approach of the new music goes a long way to humanising the hard-earned come up of an artist who has quite literally grown from blogging about local rap, to getting rave reviews from Pitchfork.

As of Now features guest appearances from fellow Charlotte native Deniro Farrar, plus BbyMutha, YL and Wild Recluse, with production by labelmate Chuck Strangers, iiye (Pink Siifu), Navy Blue, Dirty Art Club and others. The album builds on OGBON’s already-extensive self-released catalogue which includes the Navy Blue-produced mixtape Beautifully Black and Pitchfork-endorsed I’ve Really Never Been Better.

“My auntie asked me what’s my path?” spits LORD JAH-MONTE on the new album, relatably referencing the crossroads he's at in his life as someone right on the cusp of rap stardom. "Recently I've been thinking more and more about what comes next in my life," the artist reveals.

Since emerging in the late 2010s, LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON has consistently lit up America’s underground rap scene and this is thanks to a refreshingly honest writing style. His brash, wry Redman-inspired storytelling continues on the new project. Its first single is titled “I’m Signed to Lex, Now I’m Up” – a name that mirrors what a big moment releasing a project on the label that once housed MF DOOM represents for LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON’s legacy. “I’m really driven by being able to level up and give my family more financial freedom," he hopes. And, if auntie asked what his path was right now, what exactly would the rapper say? He concludes: “Auntie: this rapping thing feels like it’s finally about to pay off!”