Dropping merch to coincide with your latest LP is nothing new to the game, and artists today are using it as one of the primary tools for album promo. From digital drops for nine days straight like Travis Scott did for ASTROWORLD, to a more in-person vibe like Kota The Friend did last year in Brooklyn for his Anything EP release pop-up with Fltbys, the end result usually includes good music and something cool to hold onto and a keepsake that sort of preserves the project altogether. A similar situation went down this past weekend in Williamsburg at the Fool’s Gold Recs store, where World’s Fair rapper Lansky Jones popped up with some gear in support of his debut solo record Dangerfield.
Being part of one of the illest underground rap groups out of New York City comes with its fare share of clout to do cool things like this, but stepping out on the solo tip doesn’t come without its reservations. “I wasn’t sure who I was as a solo artist,” Jones recalls while cuts from Dangerfield play over the speakers, adding, “I ultimately wanted to put out to the world that as a rapper you have a platform. I want to utilize mine in a way that’s meaningful.” After feeling, in his own words, “looked over” by an industry that goes through new rap acts like a pack of Tic Tacs, he finally feels ready to drop these new verses and enter a whole new path for his career.
When it comes to the merch add-on, he also understands its importance to the process of pushing a new album, especially on your first rollout. Here’s what he had to say in terms of how streetwear helps to get fans more involved in the new music:
“The merch directly ties into the album because the long-sleeve is called the “Big Allis”; it’s the front cover of the album. The photo is of me on Roosevelt Island where I grew up during my childhood years, and I’m overlooking what was outside my window: the “Big Allis” Ravenswood 30 power plant. It’s an ugly thing to see outside your window at the time, especially because Roosevelt Island wasn’t initially supposed to be residential. It was a prison, then an insane asylum — for me, it was just what I saw everyday. It definitely has a coming-of-age feel.”
— Lansky Jones, World’s Fair
Lansky Jones and executive producer of Dangerfield Paul Wilson
Keep scrolling to see more from Lansky Jones’ Dangerfield pop up, and also to listen to the LP of the same name in its entirety:
Images: Keenan Higgins / The Source
The post Lansky Jones of World’s Fair Packs In Merch With Hip-Hop For ‘Dangerfield’ Pop-Up appeared first on The Source.
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