There is a kind of courage in saying exactly what you mean, especially when what you mean is complicated. LG Maliquehas built his entire artistic identity around that courage, and “Honestly, Honestly” might be his clearest example of it yet.

Though LG Malique was born and raised in Blytheville, Arkansas, surrounded by soul and R&B sounds, he’s made a new musical home for himself in the streets of Atlanta, vibing at his own frequency with the city’s sonic tapestries, bringing his sensibilities and perspective to harmonize with the gritty local 808s.

His latest song, “Honestly, Honestly,” started with a fan request during a TikTok Live, a simple ask that pushed Malique to put something painfully honest into words on the spot. The result grew into a full release that feels less like a finished product and more like a raw, unguarded moment caught on tape.

“Honestly Honestly” peels back the sound layers to allow Malique’s voice to take center stage in a way that’s very on-brand for a lot of Atlanta trap; however, there’s a lot of emotional tenderness and subtlety coming from the shimmering, dream-like synths that give the song a tranquil and almost surreal vapor touch that contrasts the bitterness in the vocals.

This amazing track follows the release of his “Carved In Gold” EP, a record chock-full of the lessons in resilience and faith learned through hardship and an open heart unwilling to let itself get bruised into shape by our troubled lives.

“Honestly, Honestly” arrives with immediate fan backing, which makes sense given that they were part of its creation from the start. A fan sparked the idea, fans demanded the full release, and now everyone gets to enjoy what that back-and-forth produced. That kind of creative reciprocity is rare and worth paying attention to.

FOLLOW LG MALIQUE:
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Top image credit Jimmy Fontaine