Lil Lotus
Bringing together the intensity of post-hardcore with the immediacy of trap, rapper/producer/songwriter Lil Lotus is often looked to as one of the guiding voices in emo rap. His music pushed past categorical boundaries as he went on, incorporating everything from sentimental acoustic songs to big-screen pop production on his 2021 full-length studio debut, Errør Bøy.
Lil Lotus was born John "Elias" Villagran in 1994. He grew up in an area just east of downtown Dallas, raised by strict and religious parents. At once sporty and rebellious, he soon developed tastes that were steeped in metal, finding kindred spirits at a local church with whom he started to make music. Metalcore and Christian metal were high on the agenda, the latter of which was accepted by his parents for its sentiment, if not the heaviness. Then, in 2011, when Villagran was just 17 years old, his father passed away -- the man who had given him his first guitar lessons -- leading an already impulsive and defiant teenager to go out on the road and live in his car for two years. When he returned, he eschewed his previous routine of collaborating with metal bands and decided to start writing and recording his own confessional material using minimal equipment.
After moving to L.A., Villagran hooked up with like-minded musicians such as the GothBoiClique collective and Canadian-born artist Nedarb, who produced the material that became the Bodybag EP. When the release took off, he began a period of eventful live appearances but a relatively fallow period for official Lil Lotus releases. Although he was prolifically uploading material onto free streaming services, the next official single with upfront marketing behind it was June 2018's mournful "Leave Me." By November of that year, he was completely drug and alcohol free, leading to a productive month for singles: two collaborative efforts and the acoustic-driven "Over It," the latter being another Nedarb production.
By 2019, Lil Lotus was back to living a comparatively quiet life in Dallas, but the following year brought a glut of releases, making it his most high-profile period to date. In an eight-month stretch, not only did he issue three EPs and two singles but also 2016-2018, a compilation of no fewer than 45 self-recorded tracks from his archives. At this point, Lil Lotus was working on solo music as well as material with post-hardcore band If I Die First and Boyfriendz, a collaborative rap group with peers Lil Aaron and Smrtdeath. He stayed busy with these numerous projects, but he found time to issue a trio of EPs in 2020, All My Little Scars, Vol. 1, 2, and 3. New singles soon followed, leading up to the arrival of Lil Lotus' first full-length studio album, Errør Bøy, in August 2021. Released through Epitaph, the set included guest appearances from Lil Aaron, Travis Barker, and Chrissy Costanza.
© James Wilkinson /TiVo
Similar artists
Discography
46 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
nosebleeder (deluxe)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Epitaph on Mar 22, 2024
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
all my friends
Alternative & Indie - Released by Epitaph on Oct 27, 2022
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
If He Dies He Dies
Alternative & Indie - Released by Lil Lotus on Oct 18, 2024
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Much Better (Unplugged)
Rock - Released by Sumerian Records on Jul 19, 2024
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
Jeepers Creepers
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nathan James on Jan 28, 2022
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
-
Face Down (Live at Cherry Soda Studios)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Epitaph on Sep 12, 2022
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
nosebleeder
Alternative & Indie - Released by Epitaph on Dec 1, 2023
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
-
-
All My Little Scars, Vol. 1
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Epitaph on May 15, 2020
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Never Get Away
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Epitaph on Jul 15, 2019
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Girl Next Door
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Epitaph on Feb 16, 2021
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Romantic Disaster (feat. Chrissy Costanza)
Lil Lotus, Against The Current
Rock - Released by Epitaph on May 25, 2021
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
When Life Gives You Lemons
Alternative & Indie - Released by Epitaph on Jun 22, 2023
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
-
All My Little Scars, Vol. 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Epitaph on Jul 31, 2020
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
therapy aint working
Pop - Released by Idkconundrum on May 5, 2023
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
-
target on my head
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by baby gang records on Mar 27, 2023
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Millionaire
Alternative & Indie - Released by Epitaph on Aug 30, 2023
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo