RICHMOND, CA – When Lawrence Dawson was a kid growing up in the Bay Area of California, he often found himself hanging around hip-hop artist Too Short. His uncles helped Too Short get started in his career, and as a young boy who was just starting to love rap music, he was enamored with the lifestyle of Too Short.
“I used to watch him – watch his movement and how he carried himself back then,” Dawson said. “He would always carry himself like a regular person, even when he was among the people. He never had security and he’d just walk up and just come and sit on the porch. To this day he still operates like that – even on the level that he’s doing he still lives among the people. When you get success and yet you can still live among the people without the pandemonium and still make great music … that balance is where it’s at. That’s the kind of career I want to have.”
Today Dawson is currently signed to Bay Area legend/ambassador of the Bay Area E40's Sick Wid It Records, and operates under the stage name Laroo THH – which stands for Tha Hard Hitta. It’s a name both based on his birth name and the style of music he brings to the table. When he first started rapping as a teenager, his hard-hitting style became so noticeable that his big brother Donta “Stay Ready” Myles took notice and gave him the nickname that he uses today.
Under that moniker, he has released a handful of singles and EPs – including a new eight-song EP called “FlashBang” that dropped on Feb. 3 through Empire Distribution. Much like his stage name declares, this album is what he describes as “throwing an impactful bomb of music into a room.”
“It’s diverse,” he said of the EP. “Some of it is stuff to ride to. Some of it is reality rap. Some of it is club music. All of it shows my originality – my unique voice tones and patters. I want people to consider me a well-rounded artist who can paint a picture and follow a story to make you think and bring out a feeling – any feeling, whether good or sad or whatever – and just get a feeling from the music. When it goes beyond that, I want it to capture a moment in time or a point in their life of what was going on in that moment. I want to create a song that if they hear it years later, they remember what they were doing when if first time out and it elicits an emotional reaction.”
The first two singles off the EP are “Act Out” and “Take It Or Leave It.” The first is a song that has already gotten more than 500,000 views on YouTube and is a club song that is all about being flamboyant and shining bright and having fun. The second is more of a chill song that explores relationships and the hardships people go through, and challenges the listener to commit to a relationship and understand what kind of baggage comes with that commitment.
“A lot of my music is just based on the realities of life,” Laroo said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to pertain to me directly – I can be a journalist and a writer. Some of it does relate to my journey, but a lot of it doesn’t. Everything I do is to help you party, to make you think, and to make you react and have a feeling.”
Fans who want to sample more of Laroo’s music can check out his YouTube page. Fans can also follow him on social media @Laroo_Rtk on Instagram, and @LarooThh on Facebook and Snapchat.
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