Luther Nicholson, better known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Lute, is an American rapper. He is signed to

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born in a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained attention as a rapper following the release of his d ...

Dreamville Records Dreamville Records is an American record label founded by American rapper J. Cole and his manager Ibrahim Hamad. The label is currently distributed through Interscope Records, a unit of Universal Music Group. The roster includes Bas, Cozz, O ...

. He released his first mixtape, ''West1996'', in 2012, his debut album, '' West1996 pt. 2'', in 2017, and his second album '' Gold Mouf'' in 2021.

Musical career

2012-2014: ''West1996''

Lute is a former member of Forever FC, the Charlotte hip-hop collective which has disbanded. Since then, Lute released his first mixtape titled, ''West1996'', on February 22, 2012. The mixtape received attention from many, including

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned along ...

, who shared the mixtape on his Twitter page.

2015–present: Signing to Dreamville and ''West1996 pt. 2''

On December 8, 2015, it was officially announced that Lute was signed to

's,

. Lute was also featured on Dreamville's compilation album titled ''

Revenge of the Dreamers II ''Revenge of the Dreamers II'' is the second compilation album by American record label Dreamville Records and was released on December 8, 2015. The album includes contributions by Dreamville artists, J. Cole, Bas (rapper), Bas, Cozz, Omen (music ...

'', on a track titled "Still Slummin'". On August 25, 2017, Lute released his first official single "Juggin'" from his album. His debut album, '' West1996 pt. 2'', had received several push backs, but was finally released on September 29, 2017. Other promotional singles and music videos for the album include songs "Premonition" and "Morning Shift". Lute also went on the 4 Your Eyez Only World Tour with J. Cole in 2017, and with JID and

EarthGang EarthGang (stylized EARTHGANG) is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu (aka Johnny Venus; born Olu Onyemachi Dakarai Fann) and WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dot; born Eian Parker). They are co-founders of the musical collective S ...

in 2017.

2020–present: ''Gold Mouf''

On February 4, 2020, he released the single "GED (Gettin Every Dolla)", which he performed at the halftime show of the Houston Rockets @Charlotte Hornets on March 7, 2020. On July 6, 2020 he released the single "Life" along with a music video. On August 14, 2020, Lute released the song "Get It and Go", featuring Blakk Soul, from the ''

Madden NFL 21 ''Madden NFL 21'' is an American football video game based on the National Football League (NFL), developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts. It is an installment of the long-running ''Madden NFL'' series. It was released for Micros ...

'' soundtrack. On May 31, 2021, Lute released the third single, "Myself" featuring Devn. The music video was later released on August 16. On October 4, 2021, Lute released his second album '' Gold Mouf''. The album includes guest appearances from labelmates

JID Destin Choice Route (born October 31, 1990), better known by his stage name JID (also stylized J.I.D), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Atlanta, he signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscop ...

Cozz Cody Rashad Osagie, better known by his stage name Cozz, is an American rapper. He is signed to J. Cole's label Dreamville Records and Interscope Records. His debut studio album ''Cozz & Effect'', was released in October 2014. He has since rele ...

, and

Ari Lennox Courtney Shanade Salter (born March 26, 1991), known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American R&B singer-songwriter from Washington, D.C. She signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscope Records as the former label's ...

, in addition to Little Brother,

Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Șaba or Șaba-Târg, the Romanian name for Shabo, a village in Ukraine * Saba, ...

Westside Boogie Anthony Tremaine Dixson (born August 30, 1989), known professionally as Westside Boogie (stylised in all capitals; formerly known as Boogie), is an American rapper. His debut mixtape, ''Thirst 48'', was released on June 24, 2014, followed by his ...

BJ the Chicago Kid Bryan James Sledge (born November 23, 1984), better known by his stage name BJ the Chicago Kid (or simply BJ), is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Sledge is best known for frequently collaborating with Top ...

, Blakk Soul, and Devn.

Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Extended plays

Compilation albums

Singles

As lead artist

Other charted songs

Guest appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lute Living people American hip-hop singers Rappers from North Carolina Songwriters from North Carolina Dreamville Records artists 1989 births 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers African-American songwriters 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians American male songwriters Hopewell High School (North Carolina) alumni