Artist Profile: Lofty305
Greater Miami punches far above its weight in the Hip Hop scene. Though not as big as the likes of Atlanta or New York, the Sunshine State’s Southernmost reaches left a lasting effect on America’s radio waves. A disproportionate amount of rappers from the late 2010s Soundcloud scene emerged from this area. It’s hard to imagine a 2017 where XXXTentacion, Kodak Black, and Denzel Curry never rose to prominence. Going further back, it would be hard to imagine a 2011 club without Pitbull, or the 90s with no Miami Bass. However, there exists a rapper so proud of his 305 roots that he has made it his namesake: enter Lofty305.
Born in Miami Shores in 1991, Lofty305’s prolific career stretches back nearly two decades. His journey started as one-third of rap trio Metro Zu, alongside Freebase and his older brother Ruben Slikk. Though their eclectic sound never quite broke into the mainstream, they nonetheless influenced some notable figures in HipHop: Lil Peep, Yung Lean, and XXXTentacion, and ASAP Mob have listed them as an influence on their sound, and they collaborated with a not-yet-mainstream Denzel Curry on a number of their tracks. Though they would disband in 2017, the influence Metro Zu had on early 2010s cloud rap (exemplified in the airy, reverbed sounds of songs like Hg Wells and LSD Swag) is very tangible.
Lofty’s first solo effort was the 2011 album Basehead Cap, an extension of the dreamlike and sample-heavy sound he pioneered with Metro Zu. Some highlights are the minimalist and vocal-centric “Laid Back Mack” and the “ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh” of “Like Lofty,” two songs tailor-made for a relaxing day at Key Biscayne.
Since then, Lofty has released nearly one hundred albums, mixtapes, and EPs– we were not joking when we said he was prolific. His biggest solo success is 2017’s “Basixx,” a sleeper hit garnering over four million Spotify streams that reinvents 2000 House classic “Lady (Hear Me Tonight) as a rap banger. Another notable track is the 2012’s “Posh Raiders,” featuring a bout of shouty vocals from Denzel Curry. No song captures the essence of an angsty Wynwood Saturday night better.
Over the last two years, Lofty has actually begun to move away from the rap sound that made him famous. On his 2024 album Andross, only three of seven songs feature rapping or any vocals. Soft, ambient electronic music defines the rest of the album. Since then, he has released twenty-one singles–quite literally titled “Element 01” through “Element 21”–that sound more like something of an Aphex Twin album than any of Lofty’s previous efforts. Though certainly a change of style, Lofty did not build a twenty-year-long rap career and earn 101,000 monthly Spotify listeners by following the crowd.
–You can find Lofty305 on Spotify, Instagram, and Bandcamp. To support independent Miami-based artists like Lofty and more, be sure to follow our Conundrum Nation Radio playlist.