Steve Lacy is the man of the hour after his Gemini Rights single “Bad Habits” climbed the charts to overtake Harry Styles’ “As It Was” for the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100. Lacy, who is currently on his Give You The World Tour crisscrossing the United States, has gone from being a late addition to The Internet to one of Kanye West’s favorite artists (which is still saying something, even if Kanye is a little… off right now).
What makes all this even more impressive is that Lacy is defying the boundaries of being a Black artist in an era when there are still material benefits to following trends — especially the ones on TikTok. In a new feature in Billboard, Lacy’s quiet cool is compared to that of another Gemini, Lenny Kravitz, as the two rockstars — who are 34 years apart in age — get paired to talk about everything from vintage guitars to their worst breakups. They also address the above quandary, which ties into a question about whether or pop culture has become disposable due to technology-addled limited attention spans. Here’s what they thought:
Lacy: Oh, my God. I don’t believe that sh-t. I feel like people just aren’t putting the time in to make things that last longer. Me, I study things that last. I’m like, “What are those elements of songs that last?” I realized that it’s songwriting, drum selection, melodies, and lyrics.
Kravitz: Drum sounds, man! I spend so much time on the drums.
Lacy: It can kill a whole song. I’m so anal about the drums.
On a personal note, I’d throw in mixing. Underrated, almost unnoticeable, but a good mix can be the difference between a timeless classic and a disposable dud. Lacy and Kravitz’s convo is well-worth reading in full — especially for hardcore music equipment geeks — and puts an interesting twist on a fascinating glimpse into the creation processes of a legend… and a legend in the making.