A HARD-WORKING young rap artist from Ledbury, who is inspired by his hometown’s poetic heritage, has released his first album.

 

Dan Layton, aged 16, performs under the name of ‘LMP The Rapper' and has already released numerous singles and an EP. He has also been featured on BBC Hereford & Worcester and on a radio station in the USA. 

 

On Friday, he has released his first-ever album, Emotions, which he has been working on all year.

 

The former John Masefield High School pupil is currently working full time at the Verzon Hotel as a dishwasher. “This is so I can fund my music career and keep going further,” he said. “I’ve been making music since 12 and I hope to continue into the future.”

 

His performing name LMP stands for “Lyrically Mentally Physically”. He said: “This is what I would consider my best attributes, my lyrics, my mentality and my physical ability being a football captain and a huge fan of sports.”

 

Alongside superstar rappers Eminem and Santan Dave, he said his greatest musical influence was his father, Rob. “He used to be a rock singer and performed around Birmingham,” he said.

 

He also took issue with the negative stereotypes of rap music. He said: “I make music to relieve peoples stress and help them through difficult times.

 

“As a storytelling lyricist I can talk about things that have happened to me or others and use that to show people going through the same that they are not alone.”

 

He also took issue with the idea that his genre of music was exclusively “urban” in nature. “Ledbury is a beautiful town famous for poetry,” he said. 

 

“I believe in my abilities to make it from here — a city is too busy and could distract me from my main focus to make a positive difference to the world.”

 

As well as offering his music for sale, Dan has also set up a website offering his music and other merchandise. To find out more, visit lmptherapper.com. His music can also be found on various streaming services such as Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.