This rap duo represents nothing else but Chicago’s renowned Southside. L.E.P. (Low End Professionals)/Bogus Boys is comprised of Moonie aka G5 and his partner in crime Count aka The G Count. Count hails from the Harold Ickes Home knows at the Ickies projects and Moonie is from the Englewood area of Chicago which is located in the SW section of the windy city.
Both rappers grew up in Chi-town during the midst of Chicago street organization such at the Gangster Disciples, The Four Corner Hustlers, and Blackstone Rangers ate just a few of the many gangs of the city. G Count states We grew up in an organization affiliated town so regardless of who you are or where you came from, here you grew up affiliated so we grew up in structured organizations.
LEP are products of disorderly times past and present and represents the group of rappers that are touting reality, and that’s the one thing that they are very proud of. Rapping about REALITY. Count said in an interview with Hip Hop Weekly is One things about us is that we stay true to what we’re doing. A lot of people say Man y’all need to make more commercial songs, but we stayed doing what we were true to and our music is a testament to what’s happening in our environment.
LEP feels that is time for them to be heard by mainstream because the public has heard from just about every other street group that’s out there and all that Chicago has is Kanye, Common, and Lupe, and even though they’re music is cool and all the group feel that all three of those artist are not quite in tuned to everything that’s going on in Chicago, and they are not knocking their crafts by any means but LEP feels that them as a group represent the street and the streets of Chicago which are 1/3 gangster according to them.
For Count G growing up on the hard streets of Chicago in his neighborhood, the idols and influences in his life he had growing up were the guys he saw on the corner hustling. On the legitimate side of things there really wasn’t anyone there that he could look up to or call successful.
Throughout the years Count G has been influenced by Bill Cosby because according to the rapper He showed black people how to live in a positive way The first mayor of Chicago is also an influence for him as well. On the musical side of things Count G’s musical influences includes artists like Big Daddy Kane, Rakim. Pete Rock, NWA, and definitely Biggie.
Moonie’s influences are Eric Alvarez(which is his Uncle and the CEO of this company). He has been Moonie’s mentor as well as his friend who has shown him the ways of life. His musical influences are people he considers to be The Greats which are Jay Z, Biggie, Bun B, and Sweet James Jones.
L.E.P. got their deal because of the originality they possess as individual artists as well as a group. The sound they have is very unique to their region and musically tasteful, says Infrared Music’s Eric Jones. Anton Marchond, L.E.P.’s A&R at Song BMG states that they voiced the life and struggle of Chicago’s darker side, and when I saw their grind and dedication to their music I had to sign them
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