Imaginative and prescient
Destroy Lonely’s boundary-pushing method to music and trend has earned him a legion of devoted followers. As he shapes a brand new world for his subsequent album, he continues to innovate.
Phrases: Georgette Cline
Moving into Destroy Lonely’s world looks like slipping right into a modern-day scene from the traditional 1994 goth movie Interview With the Vampire—candelabras flicker within the studio, curtains are blacked out, and the environment hums with darkish, cinematic attract. It’s an apropos setting for what appears to be like like his lair inside a midtown Manhattan recording studio in New York Metropolis, the place he’s been spending a lot of his time over the previous couple of months creating his subsequent album, Drop Useless Beautiful.
Younger Vamp Life—the time period and aesthetic that Lonely and the remainder of the Opium artists, led by Playboi Carti, reside by—is palpable on this second. Lone’s match is accented by a black leather-based jacket, matching pants, a glowing YVL chain layered amongst different ice that matches his facial piercings, and a black skully perched atop his dreads, dyed a mixture of silver, blond, gray, purple and black. “Simply tryna make the evilest sh*t potential,” he says, standing in entrance of the blending console within the studio on a mid-afternoon final November as he previews songs set to seem on the forthcoming LP.
“Evilest” is open to interpretation. There’s nothing really nefarious about what he’s stepping into; as an alternative, it’s the type of bad-means-good materials that’s on monitor to outperform his final album, Love Lasts Endlessly, launched in 2024, in each sound and elevation.
Final 12 months, Destroy Lonely, born Bobby Wardell Sandimanie III, spent a lot of his 12 months leveling up. The 24-year-old Atlanta rapper was exterior, touring for almost all of the 12 months on the European leg of his Endlessly Tour that spring and on the Antagonist 2.0 Tour alongside Playboi Carti, Ken Carson, Homixide Gang and Apollo Crimson final fall. Forty-five days on the street throughout each excursions. Lone describes the Opium trek as a “large social gathering.”
“It’s simply the primary time that me and all my brothers actually get to navigate this house,” he shares of touring along with his labelmates. “We’ve opened up for Carti when he did this earlier than a pair years in the past, however now, like, us all being our personal entities and having our personal little worlds and getting to have the ability to current that collectively, it simply feels enjoyable. It’s like a competition. It’s like opening Six Flags or some sh*t. It’s cool.”
He additionally bought to convey followers into his world with new music. Lone dropped the ᐸ/3³ (Damaged Hearts 3) mixtape this previous September, following a profession of initiatives that features two albums (2023’s If Seems Might Kill; 2024’s Love Lasts Endlessly), and a stack of 15 EPs and tapes (2019’s Endlessly, ILY; 2020’s Underworld; ᐸ/3; 2022’s No Stylist, amongst others).
The newest 19-track mixtape, which Lonely describes as “loads of change, development and development inside my ability of creating music,” options manufacturing from Clayco and Cxdy, a few of the ordinary suspects on the rapper’s previous releases, along with producers like CADE and Icemn. ᐸ/3³ is steeped within the genre-blurring sounds and moody, futuristic tackle experimental lure that has turn out to be synonymous with Destroy Lonely’s model. Vibe, cadence and tone take priority over conventional lyricism paired with distorted, spacey manufacturing and melodic flows. “Bane,” “No Stylist” and “If Seems Might Kill” are shining examples of that method.
Ellantre “Tré5” Williams has been aiding Lone in perfecting his sound as his go-to engineer. They met at a studio session in Atlanta in 2020, and have labored collectively ever since, kicking off with No Stylist. The 30-year-old engineer from Detroit, who’s answerable for all of the music, recording, mixing and mastering, and the reside present side of Lone’s performances with playback and Auto-Tune, breaks down Lone’s enchantment.
“The whole lot all the time boils all the way down to music for me,” Tré5 says. “And as you possibly can see, he has influenced loads of artists after him, but it surely’s similar to he created his personal sound, bro. Him and the producers, Clayco and Cxdy in them early levels, they only created their very own sound. From the beats, his vocal cadences, his raps, his flows, however actually simply the entire sound completely is simply one thing new. And simply took followers by storm. Plus, he simply bought like a cooler look. He’s only a cool dude. You by no means know what to anticipate from him. It’s a journey you are taking the followers on.”
The tattooed rhymer does simply that with the intoxicating, guitar-licked “Ain’t Arduous,” his newest tape’s opening monitor. He proclaims, “I’m the god of flows, I’m the god of drip, I’m the god of swag.” As a scholar of the sport with rap in his blood—his father is I-20, most notable for his visitor look on Ludacris’ 2002 hit “Transfer Bitch”— and raised on the catalogs of Tyler, The Creator, Earl Sweatshirt and Carti, Lonely has a deep appreciation for the artwork of move, even when his personal could also be unconventional.
“I really feel like move is to hip-hop that model is with trend,” the Prime Ground Boss shares. “Should you don’t have your individual distinct purse of flows or your individual method that you just come on the monitor, then you definately don’t actually have an id. I don’t actually assume it simmers all the way down to how your voice sounds or your inflection or something. I believe it’s simply the way in which that you just rise up in there, and if you happen to ain’t bought that, you ain’t bought nothing.”
The inspiration his music presents others isn’t misplaced on Lone. And it’s not simply restricted to his impression on the followers. He hears himself in different rappers, although he declines to say names. “I positively hear my move in loads of different artists,” he maintains. “I really feel like what I delivered to tradition and hip-hop music, and my swag and my move within the state of hip-hop proper now, is for the youngsters that come after me.”
“I can’t say that I’ve executed an excessive amount of proper now,” Lone continues. “I do know what I’ve executed, and it’s very inspirational and influential, however I really feel like we’ll see extra of my stain on the world within the years to come back. However with new artists that come out now, like loads of the youthful youngsters that I like and I take heed to, I might actually see my affect painted throughout them. That’s not unhealthy. I adore it.”
He’s additionally making an attempt to be a greater affect in terms of how he strikes out right here. “Been engaged on my issues, I’m not tryna be too poisonous,” he raps on “Present You How,” off ᐸ/3³. Final 12 months, he did a reset on his interactions with these round him. “[2025] for me has simply been actually about grounding myself and simply ensuring that I am simply treating individuals the way in which I wanna be handled,” he reveals. “And simply going by way of conditions with a lighter coronary heart or not being too onerous on myself or being too onerous on different individuals. It does take loads of onerous work.” The studio has turn out to be his type of remedy.
Watch Destroy Lonely’s Interview With XXL
The secure house is why Destroy Lonely is at present within the course of of creating his greatest work but. Drop Useless Beautiful is replete with the type of music designed for stadium settings; pulsing, hovering sounds and booming bass. In the course of the starting levels of creating this album, he was dissecting Ye’s My Stunning Darkish Twisted Fantasy, listening to Lauryn Hill, 1990’s rap, DJ Screw tapes and EDM duo Snow Strippers. Lone has over 500 albums on his cellphone and may go from Lil Wayne and Marilyn Manson to Ken Carson and Lil Durk to Black Sabbath in a single sitting. The brand new album has a number of songs with Snow Strippers whereas producers Cxdy and Clayco are crafting the majority of the beats.
“We tryna construct this new sonic, you see that sh*t is deep,” the trendsetting rapper says after enjoying a number of unreleased tracks. “That sh*t is heavy, too… That sh*t sound robust, although. It’s coming collectively fairly nicely.” The gasoline feeding him whereas he is holed him within the studio recently is french fries—no ketchup, no sauce. “I’ve a extremely unhealthy dependancy to french fries.”
The title of his third album, Drop Useless Beautiful, is predicated on what Destroy Lonely deems because the “final praise.” He’s creating a complete new world, no Little Mermaid, with innovation because the aim. Lone admits that is probably the most troublesome music he is made up to now and enjoys the problem as a result of he accomplishes extra that method. In any case, he is been enjoying video video games on onerous mode ever since he began filming himself as a child gaming on YouTube. When he does full a tune, a way of accomplishment washes over him. He by no means thought he’d be capable of make music like this. “I really feel like this would be the most Destroy Lonely album that I’ve made,” Lone expresses. “It’s not gonna be like something that I really feel like anyone has ever heard from me earlier than.” Getting all the way down to the development course of begins with the sonic textures Lonely comes throughout, like a designer piecing collectively cloth for a runway piece.
“With Cxdy, I might simply ship him a reference, like a few of the albums I’ve been listening to, the textures,” Lone explains. “It’s probably not like pure affect. I’m not ripping sounds. How the audio sounds. I might ship Cxdy like a rip of a Savage tune or like a Ye tune or one thing and be like, ‘Bro, you hear these elements of it?’ And he might come again with a complete new world for me primarily based on our inspirations and references and sh*t.”
“I gotta begin from someplace,” he provides. “I often simply sit and digest loads of sh*t. I most likely take heed to all my albums 10 occasions and simply exit and search for new sh*t. It’s like as if you happen to making garments otherwise you tryna paint your own home. You go choose all these materials and colours and every little thing, and then you definately make your individual sh*t from it. I get all these blends and textures I wanna use and I throw it in a pot and make my very own sh*t.”
Vogue can be his forte. Relying on the day, Lone is dripped out in darkish, avant-garde aesthetics, usually occasions tailor-made to his slim body. Rick Owens is one among his favourite clothes manufacturers, which he is labeled as a necessary. He’s collaborated with 1017 ALYX 9SM throughout his No Stylist period for a capsule assortment that includes unique graphics stamped on T-shirts, sweatshirts and extra. Lone even walked the runway in the course of the Vetements Paris Womenswear Spring-Summer time 2025 present as a part of Paris Vogue Week in 2024. He’s continued to make his presence identified throughout Paris Vogue Week a yearly prevalence, going viral for stepping out in boundary-pushing designs alongside his girlfriend Shannade Clermont of the Clermont Twins. This 12 months, he attended the Rick Owens trend present in all-white apparel, together with a hanging longline coat.
“Vogue is absolutely essential to me as a result of I’m simply the individual that’s actually large on self-expression,” he shares. “I like expressing myself, and I’ve like this model of myself in my head that I believe I appear like, so no matter I can do to make me appear like that, I might love to try this. And that is why I like trend. I really feel prefer it permits individuals to be like slightly elevated individual, model of theirselves… Vogue is ruleless. You would costume like this, you might costume like a clown and never, like, in a metaphorical sense, however actually, like a clown, just like the Joker, or you might costume like a f**king ninja, or you might do no matter.” He’s not kidding.
Destroy Lonely hopes to convey extra of his modern concepts to life this 12 months. He’s leaning into his enterprise ventures and needs to point out the world his hand creatively. The whole lot that he’s launched, together with merch, video shoots, album covers, and the word-building that comes with them, have been his imaginative and prescient. “I simply kinda wanna paint on a special canvas, simply exterior of music, do some bit extra stuff in trend, slightly bit extra stuff in movie,” Destroy Lonely conveys. “To not say my focus isn’t music, however I simply wanna broaden extra creatively.”
His plans in movie are motivated by the likes of a West Coast rapper who made iconic classics like Friday for the tradition. “I finally wish to write and create my very own motion pictures, kinda like within the sense of like a Ice Dice, however not in a comedy method. Similar to how Ice Dice has nice profitable motion pictures that he’s written, however he additionally acts in. That’s actually what I wanna do.” The silver display awaits.
Whereas there isn’t a confirmed date for Drop Useless Beautiful but, it’s more likely to arrive this 12 months. One other undertaking that might come alongside after his album launch is the extremely anticipated, long-awaited joint undertaking with longtime buddy and collaborator Ken Carson. Lone confirms there are about 20 holy grails followers anticipate from the discharge. The 2 artists dropped the tune “The Acronym” this previous December, a potential teaser of what’s to come back with their collab.
“We began our careers on the identical time,” Lone recollects. “Me and Ken kinda like each bought signed on the identical time, each bought thrown into this sh*t. That’s my brother. We shared all these experiences collectively. So, we’ve had this concept of creating this undertaking without end, however I’m nonetheless me, he’s nonetheless him. We’re nonetheless rising individually as nicely, and with life, it kinda takes time away, however he’s all the time proper subsequent to me. Like, he’s within the different room, within the studio proper now, so we’re all the time actively engaged on [the project]. And now it simply feels just like the time the place we’ve executed our personal private laps round sufficient that we might most likely come collectively and make one thing wonderful.” YVL is within the lab.
“The followers are simply so excited for me and Ken to make a undertaking as a result of, exterior of my large brother, Carti, I really feel like me and him are two of, if not the 2 most modern artists of our technology,” Lonely insists. “And I don’t see our technology as the identical technology as Carti’s or the those that got here earlier than us. I really feel like we’re main for everyone after us, and I simply really feel like persons are able to see what we might do collectively as a result of we’ve proven y’all so many occasions what we are able to do collectively, and now I believe persons are simply prepared for that bubble to burst.”
The Opium connection goes past working relationships. Ken and Lonely got here up within the Atlanta rap scene, trying to the careers of artists like Playboi Carti as inspo. Finally, they each bought signed to the label. Lone, who joined Opium and Interscope Information in 2021, has developed a significant friendship with Carti alongside the way in which.
“Carti to me is much more than a label proprietor or a music associate or a peer,” Lone explains. “He’s genuinely my large brother, like, as if we shared the identical blood. So, I might all the time name him and ask him about something. Extra so I speak to him about life greater than music. I don’t actually name him for nothing however life recommendation. Like, to be sincere, I positively let him hear all my initiatives. I positively prefer to see what he’s pondering. However truthfully, I’m only a scholar, so I aspire to be the place my large brother is at, if not, possibly even higher than him sooner or later. No offense. It’s similar to, that’s how I ought to really feel. So, I simply all the time be taught from him, I be taught from Ken. I be taught from everyone round me as a result of I like all of my mates, Homixide Gang, Apollo Crimson.” Household first.
The Prime Ground Boss is in a superb place at present. He’s bought his sights set on making an impression along with his new work whereas creating with the utmost optimism he is had in years. The street to happiness isn’t all the time paved in gold, however Destroy Lonely has discovered solace at this level in his life. He is changed being too onerous himself with extra grace. The change in temper additionally makes for higher artwork.
“I really feel the most effective I ever felt, and that is what’s preserving me motivated,” he says. “There’s one thing deep in my spirit proper now that’s giving me all these concepts, from my album to every little thing that I’m doing proper now, and I’m simply holding onto that as a result of it is one thing telling me that is what I’m speculated to be doing proper now.” New degree unlocked.
Within the dim glow of the candlelit studio and the sounds of his new album filling the air, Destroy Lonely stands at a pivotal second. Contemporary off a 12 months of relentless touring, viral trend statements and the regular growth of Opium’s cultural stronghold, he is channeling development, affect and self-reflection into what he calls his most Destroy Lonely undertaking but. Tré5, who refers to Lone as “dynamic,” believes the forward-thinking artist won’t solely proceed to develop however turn out to be the face of rap. Drop Useless Beautiful is the sound of an artist sharpening his edge, embracing experimentation, and designing a world that stretches past music into trend and movie. His objectives are lofty and he is prepared to realize them.
“I wanna be the most important, I wanna be a f**king legend, however not even in simply music,” he declares. “I wanna be one thing that folks ain’t by no means even seen earlier than. I simply wanna be among the finest variations of me that I could possibly be, and I simply wanna be really the most important at no matter it’s I do. One factor I used to be raised, like, simply all the time be the most effective at what you do. I didn’t come into the rap world, like, ‘Alright, I’ll be cool if I like promote a pair albums and I should purchase some garments and a sequence.’ Nah, I wanna be the most effective at what I do. And identical with trend, identical with movie, identical with something, and I’m prepared to do no matter to get there.”
Crown or nothing.
Take heed to Destroy Lonely’s ᐸ/3³ Mixtape
