In 2024, Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon made it official. He signed to Lex Records and dropped the victory-lap single “I’m With Lex Now I’m Up.” It was a fitting move. The Charlotte-born rapper embodies the kind of left-field charisma the label — once home to MF DOOM — has long championed.

Jah-Monte is a rapper of dualities; vulgarity is tempered by his humour, ridiculousness is tamed by his thoughtfulness. On As of Now, he sounds like an artist taking stock. The album revels in hard-earned wins while still leaving room for relationship messiness, raunchy jokes, and luxury flexes. It’s a project about pausing mid-climb — not to brag, exactly, but to laugh, reflect, and talk a little shit before getting back to work.

Jah-Monte’s bars ride a lush spread of dreamy, soul-sample-heavy production from names like Navy Blue, Iiye (Pink Siifu), Chuck Strangers, and Dirty Art Club, among others. Still, the sound palette never feels one-note. Tracks like “King of Charlotte” pull away from the well developed comfort and hit the chest with dark ad-libs and creeping synths, meant to wobble the neck and make the head bang.

Whether he’s leaning into introspection or absurd humour, slow-burn grooves or bops, As of Now shows Jah-Monte at his most balanced. It’s a celebration of progress without losing personality — proof that even while levelling up, he hasn’t stopped being himself.