Patiently Waiting
a 24, 30 bar verse. It was just dope. I loved hearing myself on a record. [That’s when I knew] this is what I want to do.”
A
s superstitions go, it’s bad luck to walk under a ladder. Also, if you break a mirror, they say it will bring you seven years of bad luck. And everyone knows it’s bad luck if a black cat crosses your path. In the West, there’s another path that rappers don’t want to cross, and as the superstition says, he goes by the name Bad Lucc. “I got the name on some corny shit in high school,” he says. “I was heavy into the battling, so it was a thing where it was bad luck to battle me, cause you were going to lose.” Born in Inglewood, California, and raised in Watts, a Los Angeles neighborhood known for historic riots in 1965 and 1992 and prevalent gang violence, Lucc never partook in gang or drug activity. He grew up writing poetry, and later, followed the footsteps of his older sister, who was in a local rap group. At age 10, Lucc’s sister wrote his first rap that he later performed at a family get-together. That small taste of rap stardom would become Lucc’s catalyst. He spent the rest of his school years writing raps, battling and recording. “One of my guys used to rap all the time,” he says. “He took me to the studio with him one day. It was my first time ever in the studio, and I wrote about
46 // OZONE MAG
Lucc’s music started hitting the streets and helped him meet artists like Swizz Beatz, Jadakiss and West Coast veteran Damani. Damani helped him connect with Snoop Dogg, Daz & Kurupt, and Soopafly. Bad Lucc, Damani and Soopafly eventually formed a rap group called Dubb Union (formerly Westurn Union), and made their debut on “Like This” from Snoop Dogg’s 2006 album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. In 2008, the trio released their first album, Snoop Dogg Presents: Dubb Union on Doggstyle/Koch Records. Now, the L.A. rapper has set his sights on solo aspirations. Dubb Union is still a group and has plans to release another album in the future, but for now, Lucc has been working extensively with L.A. rapper/producer Terrace Martin. He signed a deal with We The West Media to release a solo album called Dear Speakers. And on the side, he’s one of the most used ghostwriters in Cali (but keeps mum about who his pen works for). Even though this L.A. emcee carries the name Bad Lucc, his fortunes seem to be anything but poor, and in the end, he just wants reverence. “I never really cared about who was the best out,” he says. “I am one of the few that cares about the rhymes. At the end of the day, all I want is to be respected.” Words by Randy Roper // Photo by D-Ray