Louis Junior began teasing his Nothing More, Nothing Greater LP last February, and now fans of the Tampa emcee can listen to the entire nine-track effort recorded at the now-defunct Red Lounge Studios. Junior, 33, said he had a lot of help along the way, too.
Producers like Best Kept Secret, The Union, Freek van Workum and Downtown Music all contributed beats while Maxx Forman recorded and mixed the album before Matt Reisinger (aka Fr33dback) mastered it. Friends like Justified Jay, Sam E. Hues, Gat$, Mike Mass, DJ QEYS, Stoney Hoop, Wes and the Bangarang crew all helped Junior in assessing the record while those closest to Junior rode out the highs and lows of Nothing More’s two year creation.
“I feel like I could go on forever naming the homies and just how much they’ve helped to make this a reality,” Junior told CL. “Whether it were playing a song or sharing a drink or a discussion of what’s to come, it was all fuel to the fire.”
Read our full Q&A and listen to the nine-track album below.
How old are you, Louis?
I am enjoying my time at 33 for a bit longer.
Last February, we were talking about the title track for NMNG, which was produced by Best Kept Secret. How much more did the duo appear on the rest of the album?
I was able to sneak another Best Kept Secret produced record on the album with the song "In My Mind." Once I heard the beat the song really just jumped out of me.
Who else gets production credits? Also thinking about “FRFR” — what’s that stand for and who made that for, and who made that party track?
The album showcases production from a collective called 'The Union' ("Le Garçon," "FRFR," "TEN80," "Fading" and "Beach Street"), Freek van Workum ("Black Rose"), Downtown Music ("We Out Here") and obviously the Best Kept Secret tracks ("Nothing More, Nothing Greater," "In My Mind").
"FRFR" or "For Real, For Real" was me wanting to write something uptempo, something to bounce and have fun to. It’s a story about eyeing that one across the room and what can happen unexpectedly when things get too real.
And you were fine-tuning the album last February, who else came in and out of your creative life in between now and then? How did they help shape the sound of the album?
I’ve been pretty consistent as far as who has been along for the ride. My lady Sara has been riding with me through the highs and lows of my creative process and I thank her for that. Maxx Forman recorded and mixed the entirety of the album, and it’s essentially been him and I cranking this out together for the better part of two years now at the now-defunct Red Lounge Studios. FR33DBACK came on board to master the album, really polished up and brought new life to the music, I’m very grateful for his input.
Creatively I’ve bounced ideas and drafts off of my brother Justified Jay, Sam E. Hues, Gat$, Mike Mass, DJ QEYS, Stoney Hoop, Wes and the fellas in Bangarang. I feel like I could go on forever naming the homies and just how much they’ve helped to make this a reality. Whether it were playing a song or sharing a drink or a discussion of what’s to come, it was all fuel to the fire.
The album ends with a call for help, some self-reflection and something of a resolution. Could you talk “In My Mind” and why you felt the need to tell that story and what that song means to you?
It’s a quick glimpse of my mental tug of war, do I want to "please people" or do I wanna cave into myself? All of the songs on the album in a sense represent a moment within a night out, "In My Mind" is questioning and at times reaffirming if it in fact was all really worth it.
This article appears in Dec 6-13, 2018.