{"id":13432,"date":"2025-09-13T07:59:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-13T07:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/13432\/"},"modified":"2025-09-13T07:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T07:59:10","slug":"meet-liim-the-new-york-rapper-whose-debut-album-feels-like-a-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/13432\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Liim, the New York Rapper Whose Debut Album Feels Like a Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFor 21-year-old rapper Liim<\/a> Lasalle, clarity is key. During his live shows, the Harlem-raised, Brooklyn-based rapper is keen on offering the audience a few words describing the origins of each track he performs. \u201cI definitely think that a song hits harder when you know what it means,\u201d he says over Zoom ahead of the release of his debut album, Liim Lasalle Loves You, out today. \u201cSometimes when you\u2019re performing, niggas can\u2019t really hear what the fuck you\u2019re saying really in depth. So I feel like it gives someone a title before they start reading the book.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe literary comparison is no accident. Liim\u2019s music unfurls like a novel, with details compounding into scenes you can picture in your mind. Take his single \u201cMezcal,\u201d from the new album, which he says was inspired by trying the drink for the first time at a Clairo concert. The song opens with Liim in a moment of introspection rapping, \u201cTimid when I pull up but the drink bring the best out\/Lots of things I wouldn\u2019t say weighing on my chest now.\u201d The song plays out like the kinds of brooding confessionals that take place solo at the bar. \u201cI ain\u2019t never seen somebody go through what I did and try to get up,\u201d he raps.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWith a breezy, melodic flow reminiscent of Harlem legend Max B, Liim\u2019s new album is a testament to his growth as an artist. Over the past few years, he says he\u2019s had to make major changes in his life, including surrounding himself with new friends and more positive influences, as well as facing the end of a long-term relationship. \u201dI feel like my eyes have been opened to a lot more introspective views, and I\u2019ve been able to let go of a lot more over the past few years,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve also made some of the best music I\u2019ve ever made in my life, in the past two years as well I feel like, due to these experiences.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tAfter releasing a string of singles along with his EPs, Petty Pete last year, Liim gained notoriety in part thanks to shout-outs from influential artists like Tyler, the Creator, who described his music to Zane Lowe as a combination between Max B and Stereolab. \u201cHe\u2019s talking about a specific song called \u2018Edward 40 Hands.\u2019 I made that song shouting out Max B in the beginning of the song,\u201d he explains. \u201cI made that song intentionally with a Max B flow over some Stereolab shit, because I just wanted to hear what it would sound like. I wasn\u2019t even going to put that out, but I was like, fuck, it\u2019s kind of fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tThat sort of experimentation is at the core of Liim\u2019s process. He describes first getting into music through skate videos growing up, which presented him with a wide breadth of genres and sounds. \u201cI was really exposed to a lot of different-ass shit,\u201d he says. \u201cI was listening to Smashing Pumpkins and fucking Kodak Black. I feel like that\u2019s really been influential on my songwriting and my style when it comes to music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSonically, Liim Lasalle Loves You runs the gambit of vibes. As a vocalist, Liim has a potent R&B croon infused with Harlem\u2019s instinctive, laid-back cool. His flow, while indeed reminiscent of Max B, has its own melodic pocket that could easily fit in the context of jazz or pop music. He cities being shown Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean by one of his friends growing up as another influential moment for his sound, and the genre-bending ethos of both artists is felt in Liim\u2019s music.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhere Liim shines brightest, however, is lyrically. With a playful but earnest sense of introspection, his debut album introduces a vibrant, unflinching vulnerability, as he unpacks his own coming-of-age. \u201cI\u2019m less nervous to do that than to tell somebody I know in real life,\u201d he says of writing songs about his life. \u201cHonestly, I\u2019m not afraid of vulnerability though. I\u2019m definitely not an oversharing-ass nigga, but when the time is right to say some shit, I\u2019m probably going to say it and keep it real.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tHe says songwriting has helped him find the words to navigate his own feelings at times. \u201cI feel like some people listen to music and they let the words go,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you do listen to the music, it helps you have a way with words, it helps you articulate your emotions a little better, and even feelings you didn\u2019t know how to communicate, which is what I feel like my advantage has been since early. Because I\u2019ve always been very into the lyrics of the song.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tLiim\u2019s also a big movie buff. He mentions the classic Pedro Almod\u00f3var film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown as a recent source of inspiration. You can see in all of his music videos that, in addition to telling stories through his music, Liim is deeply fascinated with the possibilities of film. \u201cI think the ultimate goal is to fully put my foot in that door one day and be able to create masterpieces on film,\u201d he says. \u201cRomance movies and shit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tNaturally, he approached his debut with a cinematic eye. \u201cI wanted this album to be like a movie that isn\u2019t necessarily story based completely, but it all has to do with the same plot. It all has to do with love,\u201d he says. \u201cThe last song on the album is called \u2018Liim Lasalle Loves You,\u2019 and I\u2019m talking about how sometimes you\u2019re lucky enough to fall in love with somebody that loves you back. Sometimes you\u2019re not. It\u2019s all right. You\u2019re going to be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For 21-year-old rapper Liim Lasalle, clarity is key. During his live shows, the Harlem-raised, Brooklyn-based rapper is keen…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13433,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,13803,409,8236],"class_list":{"0":"post-13432","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-liim","12":"tag-music","13":"tag-tyler-the-creator"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}