When news emerges that a rapper has been shot, a video or a song is often made antagonizing their opps or flexing their ability to dodge death. However, that’s not the case with BandGang Lonnie Bands.
After being shot in the head, the Detroit native used his newest album Hard To Kill to symbolize his phoenix-like rise back to prominence. The 16-track effort pulls together close friends and high-profile collaborators for a cohesive, mature take on life in Detroit.
“I just love making music,” Lonnie explained in an interview with Daily Chiefers. “I hate that people try to put the street shit with the music and then it never be the same. That’s why the music shit so fucked up now because people are glorifying death and a bunch of other shit.”
However, this album and Lonnie‘s veteran mentality doesn’t come together without the support he’s received from his fellow BandGang members, the Michigan rap scene as a whole, and the birth of his daughter.
Lonnie and the rest of BandGang started generating a following when they were teenagers and slowly built their buzz from the ground up. But even with a career on the rise, Lonnie was standing in the way of his own progress.
“In the group [BandGang], I was the rapper with the least amount of music. I was so caught up in hustling and saying ‘fuck this rap shit’ but when I had my baby girl–she’s six now–that made me really get it together,” Lonnie explained.
From that point on Lonnie was locked in, but still had much to learn. He credits his older brother for pushing him to continue to get better and now sees himself as his biggest critic.
“Me and my brother used to get into it and fight all the time like ‘damn you don’t like my music?’ but now I understand. Most of my biggest songs were just me being mad at [his older brother], Lonnie stated.
Now that the album is out, it’s clear how big Lonnie‘s strides have been since first making a splash in Detroit. However, as good as his music is, what sets him apart from his contemporaries is that his brand as an artist is built on camaraderie.
He’s collaborated with up and coming artists and producers in Michigan countless times and even made room for them on cuts with artists like EST Gee, FKi 1st, Boldy James, and many others.
“Can’t nobody in this world do nothing by themselves if they wanna be great at it,” Lonnie exclaimed during the interview. Check it out.
