For this week’s Local Music Monday, DeBraun Thomas features a west coast transplant who feels right at home in Lexington.
Justin Long is a native of San Diego California who moved to Lexington in 2001. Long says music runs deep in his family as his grandfather was a guitar player who performed with Hank Williams and his father was a music lover. While his family has had an influence on him, Long says growing up in San Diego played a big role in exposing him to different music.
“I got exposed to all different kinds of music, I grew up listening to tons of classic rock and soul and tons of hip-hop, I think because of the area being a metropolitan area, you were just exposed to all kinds of music.”
Long is a hip-hop artist who performs under the name JustMe. In addition to performing as a solo artist, Long is part of a hip-hop group called Scribbiling Idiots and is also in the band A Tribe Called Lex. Long says while he’s been in many different groups, both collaborating and performing solo have helped him grow as an artist.
“It’s a totally different dynamic working on solo stuff as opposed to when you’re writing lyrics with other group members and stuff, the concepts can be a lot more personal and direct, I really enjoy having the option of doing either one.”
Justin Long performs with Tribe Called Lex and Scribbling Idiots. Long hosts an open mic at The Album on the third Thursday of every month. More information about Long and his projects can be found here.
