In The Spotlight: Hip Hop Artist L-Dro

Another one! *DJ Khaled voice* As always, if you are or represent an upcoming artist, designer, producer, etc., and are interested in a feature, please visit our Features/Submissions page for more information! 

The next artist we're spotlighting hails from my hometown of Akron, Oh! Hip hop artist L-Dro was inspired by and grew up listening to artists such as Pac, Biggie, Nas, Jay-Z, Scarface, Jadakiss and AZ. These artists, who, in his opinion, were out when rap music was at its most competitive and authentic, influenced him to try out the music he most identified with growing up.

When asked what makes him different from other artists, L-Dro states that it would be a combination of his drive, versatility, beat selection, lyrical content, and determination. He also feels like he goes harder than anybody when it comes to rapping. His new single, "The Life We Live," off of his upcoming Higher Education EP, features two of rap's lyrical veterans in Jadakiss and Beanie Sigel and has garnered Dro a lot of attention on various blogs, mixtapes & and radio shows. He said the track came to be from a collaboration between him, his manager and Aganee Jenkins, who produced the track. He said they reached out to both rappers, who were ready and willing to lend some lyrical firepower to Dro's track. He said the addition of them made the track really feel like hip hop to him. He also has a new track called "Win Or Lose" off of DJ Kay Slay's new album. The track also features New York City upstarts Dave East, Vado, and Fred The Godson. This track, which was created after an invite to be on Kay Slay's radio show, is currently getting a lot of airplay on radio.

Dro is currently preparing his new EP, which is set to include features from Jadakiss, Beanie Sigel and Victoria Monet, as well as production from The Olympicks and Tommy Brown. He's also working on a new mixtape hosted by DJ Kay Slay and another album.

When asked about what singles he would suggest potential new fans to check out, L-Dro said "Immaculate" and "Angels Cry" off his latest mixtape, "In Us We Trust", which was hosted by DJ Drama. He suggested people check out the project in its entirety as well as the previous mixtape DrOHIO, which was hosted by Def Jam VP of A&R and producer DJ Don Cannon. Before the interview was over, I asked L-Dro about what has been his favorite moment of his career so far, and he stated that it would be his trip to SXSW in Austin, TX. "[I] had a great time networking with so many different artists and DJs from all over, and performing in front of big crowds." the artist said. "It was an amazing experience."

You can check out more of L-Dro's music on Soundcloud, LiveMixtapes and Datpiff. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.