If you have yet to hear the infamous “Almighty on the beat, you know how we rockin” beat tag, you have not been paying attention to the simmering Chicago music scene which has recently began to show a sense of unison under the instrumental direction of 23 year old producer, Lukas Melgosa- better known as Luke Almighty. We first caught wind of the young Chicagoland based producer through several hit collaborations with a fellow Chicago standout, Supa Bwe, who exemplified the cosmic potential of Luke’s unorthodox musical style. Since then, he has elevated exponentially by becoming the go-to producer for underground creatives wishing to stand out in the sea of new artists who are popping up every day. I was able to sit down with Luke in the city and chop it up about the making of Deliver Us From Evil and his upcoming plans for world domination.
The first thing that sticks out about your new EP, Deliver Us From Evil, is the amazingly detailed biblical themed artwork, courtesy of Catchphrase Jones, which features you sitting on a throne in heaven with rappers surrounding you. How did this concept idea come to life?
The art stemmed from the concept of “Luke Almighty” and I tried framing it from a painting perspective. Jesus and God brought people together and offered guidance. Beyond just producing beats, I offer my own guidance in the studio and hope to create a positive change for people to come together as well. I want to be a bigger entity than just a producer, take full control and not box myself in. Producers impact the scene as much as rappers do, so I just want to put my potential on display and show producers can have a major impact. All the characters featured in the artwork are either on the project or have worked with me on hits in the past.
The artists present on this track list speak volumes about the work you’ve been producing this past year, in particular the connections you’ve built in the Chicago scene. (Aside from Marquesisdead who is from Minnesota, shout out to him- he has been going crazy ever since I heard “Bad Luck”.)
Can you tell our readers a little bit more about how you pieced together the talented feature lineup?
All the features came about from the organic relationships I have built with the artists. Freako and Adot were two of the first artists that I worked with from the local Chicago scene and were always more hands on during the recording process, Deliver Us From Evil stems from them.
How did you first link with Decent Militia?
I was a fan of Jose Franco and Fiji before anything. Tiger Woods was the first song Fiji and I did together and we stayed in contact. “U.S.D.A.” with Joey came about afterwards and we all got closer. I sent Vela Seff some beats later on when he hit me up and he created two tracks for the tape. Lots more coming with Decent real soon.
Kahrion is a name that has been buzzing in Chicago recently and he has two songs on the tape as well, “Herschel” especially goes crazy-what sample is that?
I sampled “Herschel” from one of my favorite songs, “Hate It Or Love It” by 50 Cent, it was one of the first songs that turned me on to rap. I love Kahrion’s music so it was a natural creation.
Spenzo is a rare and unexpected feature on the last song of the tape, “My Street”, alongside Cole Bennet’s best friend and protege, DuffleBagBuru-how did this happen?
Me and Buru have been dropping hella music together. Spenzo and Buru recorded stuff over my beats, I met Spenzo at a Cole video shoot and ever since then we have stayed in contact, he let me drop the song.
Aside from all the killer rap features, you collaborated with a few buzzing producers, (5herrif, MachoBeatz, CEO Beatz and Bruiser3100), how is the process of collaborating with producers different than with vocal artists?
I like working with producers because I learn and make new sounds. The producers on the project are homies of mine that I’ve locked in and had musical chemistry with.
What do you hope listeners take away after listening to Deliver Us From Evil?
I want people to experience the many sides to me, I want them to see I’m putting myself on the forefront. I want them to see a full body of work with different artists who each sound well together, while simultaneously maintaining their own distinct sound.
What’s the plan for the rest of Summer 18’?
More visuals on the way for multiple tracks off Deliver Us From Evil. Dropping the ADHD EP with Freako in August, which is currently being mixed & mastered by the goat BIG NANDO at Way Too Potent Records, who also engineered my tape. One of the most exciting news to look forward to is towards the end of August, I’m throwing an Almighty and Friends show in Chicago with all the artists from the tape- more details coming real soon!
You can stream Deliver Us From Evil on your favorite streaming service below and be sure to follow Luke Almighty on Twitter and Soundcloud to stay up to date with all future project and show dates, “you know how we rockin!”
