Lute – a.k.a. Luther Nicholson – made his breakthrough in the underground hip-hop scene as a member of the rap collective Forever FC, alongside Jimmy Kelso, High I'm Ry and SchylerChaise. He released his first solo mixtape West 1996 in 2012, while still a part of Forever FC, but then took a step back after the birth of his daughter.

As both the collective and Lute received praise from the likes of Rick Ross and Pete Rock, it wasn’t long before he was snapped up by J. Cole in 2015, who signed him to his then rapidly expanding label Dreamville. After West 1996, Pt. 2 and his impressive second album Gold Mouf (2021) – featuring the likes of JID, Ari Lennox and Saba – Lute became a permanent fixture at Dreamville.

The rapper from North Carolina delivers modest, introspective lyrics that often reference his life struggles and fatherhood. His sharp pen is often combined with mellow and soul-tinted productions. He’ll be dropping new material soon, but you needn’t wait to buy a ticket, because we’re predicting that this will be a must-see show.