A guitar’s exotic melody greets us with open arms shortly after pressing the play button on the new single and music video from LBM, titled simply “Bad Habits,” and as fetching as the opening bars it creates for us are, they pale in comparison to the warm energy LBM himself will inspire with his lead vocal. “Bad Habits” is a crossover hip-hop track that scoffs at aggression in favor of embracing a slow jam-style groove worthy of some praise all on its own. LBM has been active on the scene for a couple of years now, but in this latest release he exhibits a potent maturity akin to a mainstream player.

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he vocals aside, I really like the arrangement of this track, especially with regards to how it was then produced to feel like a live performance more than just an average studio recording. There’s no separation between the beat and the vocal, and though it might sound a little messier than it had to be, I dig the uncomplicated vibe and juggernaut energy this approach yields just the same. Others might be content to recycle concepts from year to year, but for this young rapper, his is an agenda too big to be condensed in favor of winning the populist vote.

LBM’s best attribute is the way he can switch gears from hard-hitting verses to a style that borders on melodic crooning (which, in turn, is something that I wouldn’t mind hearing him try more often). He’s got surgical precision with his vocal, leading me to believe that he’s either had a lifetime of professional music training or has simply spent the entirety of his young existence devoting himself to rehearsal independently. In either case, his hard work is paying off in a big way here.

“Bad Habits” doesn’t strike me as the breakout moment LBM has been waiting for since 2019, but it gives us enough of a look into his future for me to confidently say he’s on the verge of something really big right now. He’s definitely ready to follow-up on what he started in 2019’s Project X, and provided he stays away from the bloated fat of the commercial element in hip-hop as he has thus far, I don’t see why his sophomore LP wouldn’t gain the approval and adulation of the college radio circuit relatively quickly. He’s got my endorsement, and I think he’s got a good shot at winning yours with “Bad Habits” this month.

John McCall