Today we’d like to introduce you to Langston Hughes III.
Hello Langston Hughes III, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
We are Langston Hughes III, a Hip-Hop group from Charleston, SC. LH3 consists of Chawle Dawk The Superstar, Choc The Bully, Maximillion, and The Moja DJ Cory B. Our music is a natural progression from the golden era of Hip-Hop, which we termed Adult Contemporary Head Nod Music.
A moon or two ago, we were a part of the 90s rap collective Da Phlayva. Our 15 Minutes of Fame claim is the group that coined the name “Chucktown,” which has become synonymous with our hometown of Charleston, SC. We secured a record deal that allowed us to travel the country and share stages with Hip-Hop luminaries, including Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., and many others. It was a beautiful, electrifying, short-lived experience, and we returned home with our Dream deferred. Grand opening, grand closing. At that time, with no tour in sight, we had no choice but to place the Dream aside, and we eventually fell into the day-to-day rat race of survival. The truth is, there are no explanations for what happened to us. Sometimes life deals us cards we can’t fully comprehend, and it’s left to us to know how to play them.
Fast forward 20 years, and we decided to return to our deferred Dream and started rapping again. To some, it seemed crazy. Rap is considered a young man’s sport. Although we thought it was crazy, too, it felt just right. In uncertainty, Bob Lipitch, owner of Chopped Herring Records, tracked us down via Facebook. Chopped Herring is a U.K. Hip-Hop Label specializing in rare and unreleased 90s material. Bob was a fan of Da Phlayva and wanted to do a project with us. We were shocked that he would be aware of who we were. The internet did not exist when we released our music; we only had a short run. Bob revealed that we had an international following of fans who wondered what happened to Da Phlayva. We decided to do the re-release project and invested our earnings in creating a recording studio. We started recording new music and found a comfortable medium. Music is music. There shouldn’t be an age limit on anyone’s expression. Rapping felt like our purpose; we needed to see that vision through to completion.
We carved out a niche of our own, coined our music “Adult Contemporary Head Nod Music,” and renamed our group Langston Hughes III in homage to the great Harlem Renaissance poet and his poem “Dream Deferred.” The poem became our focus, and the goal was to turn a deferred dream into an expedited dream, which means, in essence, to turn an abandoned or postponed Dream into an actualized or accomplished goal.
As Langston Hughes III, we released the album “Dream Expedited” in 2019, which took much thought and sacrifice. Dream Expedited is characterized by where we were, where we are, and where we’re going, and Langston Hughes III represents more of where we are going. And not where we are presently. Our deferred Dream didn’t remain deferred; we returned to our purpose. While taking back our passion and purpose, we found things we have become passionate about, including inspiring the world.
We contacted Wendy Day, a mentor and consultant for hip-hop artists. Wendy brokered deals for Master P’s No Limit Records, Cash Money Records, and Eminem, to name a few. Wendy’s services were out of our range then, but she liked what we were doing and offered some advice. Promoting an older hip-hop group is tough, so you must create space. We did just that and created Merlot Moments, a celebration of art, wine, and classic Hip-Hop. We used this event to perform and promote our music. It was well received, so we continue to do it. In the entertainment periodical The Charleston City Paper, Merlot Moments was written about here. It became a “thing.” We made band merchandise to sell at shows that displayed our logo, The Langston Lion. People loved the T-Shirts, and we got the idea to create a clothing line around them. The line became The House Of Langston, an affirmation brand that inspires people to pursue and protect their dreams. The Lion Head doorknocker initially represented prestige but quickly became the symbolic gatekeeper for dreams and goals, warding off Dream Stealers. To date, we have sold merchandise internationally.
Our love for creating music led us to new avenues we became passionate about. The Merlot Moments event series and The House Of Langston Clothing Brand came about because we collectively decided to take back our dreams. Soon after we decided, the stars aligned, and Chopped Herring Records found us. That moment solidified our decision, and we have not looked back since. We are working on new music, curating Merlot Moments, growing our clothing line, and writing a personal development book to inspire others to take back their dreams. It is always possible to fulfill your purpose. Now That’s Langston.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our biggest challenge was pivoting in the 3rd quarter of our lives. Building a new world is a strain when fully immersed in your current life and responsibilities. We have accepted the challenge, understanding that if we do not give our all to following our passion and calling, we will live our senior years reflecting with regret. That’s our most significant motivating factor.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
The thing we are most proud of is fairly simple. We nicknamed our hometown Chucktown a couple of decades ago. It stuck, and people from all walks of life and ages have embraced the name. There are businesses named Chucktown. The news anchor refers to Charleston as Chucktown. Long after, our accolades or accomplishments have faded, and our mortality has become apparent that one thing will remain.
So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
Our primary focus has become building The House Of Langston, our affirmation apparel brand. We are curating Popup Shops and building our online presence via our website, www.langston1993.com. The goal is to tour the southeast spreading the Protect Your Dreams by any means motto through our clothing and accessories.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.langston1993.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseoflangston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houseoflangston/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LANGSTONHUGHESIII
Image Credits
All images courtesy of Javet Blunt
