DJ King Flow, the French DJ and producer behind Mixtape Addict, returns with another edition of the programme featuring Burlington, North Carolina MC Lex Lakaiser on Scientific Sound Asia. Scientific Sound Asia operates as an international radio station, DJ agency, promoter and music news platform, supporting artists connected with both the foundations and continuing development of Hip Hop culture.
DJ King Flow began DJing at the age of fourteen and developed a style firmly rooted in Boom Bap and the traditions of 1990s Hip Hop. His selections combine that foundation with current underground releases, placing established artists alongside newer independent voices without treating the music purely as nostalgia.
That connection between generations has become an important part of his identity as both a DJ and producer. Hard drums, sample-driven production and lyric-focused records remain central to his approach, while his programming continues to reflect the way underground Hip Hop has developed internationally.
Throughout his career, King Flow has worked with artists including Ras Kass, Tragedy Khadafi, O.C., Juicy J and Khujo Goodie. These collaborations have helped connect his production work with different strands of American underground rap while maintaining the musical principles that shaped his early years behind the decks.
In 2015, he launched Mixtape Addict as a platform dedicated to independent Hip Hop. The project has since developed beyond a conventional radio show, combining new music, mixtapes, artist interviews and direct support for rappers, DJs and producers working outside the mainstream.
The interview side of the project has grown through The Mixtape Addict Report, a video series recorded across France, Canada and the United States. These conversations give artists space to discuss their careers, influences, releases and experiences within independent music.
King Flow also continues to develop his own production catalogue alongside the radio and interview work. His releases demonstrate the same emphasis on lyricism, beatmaking and underground culture that defines the wider Mixtape Addict platform.
Rather than concentrating exclusively on artists from France or the United States, DJ King Flow uses the programme to connect independent voices from different locations. That international outlook has become one of the defining features of the series, linking artists through a shared respect for MC culture, production and the foundations of Hip Hop.
This edition continues that approach with Lex Lakaiser joining the programme as the featured guest. His appearance brings another voice from the American underground into a series built around independent artistry, strong writing and the continuing exchange between different generations of Hip Hop.
Interview Guest Lex Lakaiser
Lex Lakaiser is a rapper, songwriter and lyricist from Burlington, North Carolina, whose work is rooted in lyric-driven underground Hip Hop. His music combines the raw character of street rap with detailed writing and a strong emphasis on storytelling.
His verses are shaped by intricate wordplay, vivid imagery and a direct vocal delivery. Drawing from personal experience and his surroundings, Lex balances harder material with more reflective writing, allowing different sides of his identity to emerge across his catalogue.
Boom Bap and East Coast-influenced production provide much of the foundation for his sound. Rather than simply recreating an earlier era, he uses those traditions as a framework for contemporary independent rap centred on bars, rhythm and strong production.
His project Carolina’s Dark Knight demonstrates that range, moving between more confrontational records and tracks built around personal narratives. The project also reinforces his connection with North Carolina while presenting a broader picture of his approach as an MC.
I Still Shine is another example of that direction, combining determined lyricism with production designed to leave space for the vocal performance. The track reflects themes of resilience and persistence that appear throughout his work.
Collaboration has also played an important role in Lex Lakaiser’s catalogue, allowing him to work alongside artists from different parts of the underground scene. These appearances give him opportunities to adapt to contrasting production styles while retaining the distinctive delivery and lyrical focus behind his solo material.
Whether working alone or alongside other MCs, Lex places considerable importance on clarity, presence and the construction of individual verses. His approach reflects a belief that technical ability and storytelling remain central elements of rap regardless of changes in production or wider musical trends.
Through a growing catalogue of independent releases and collaborations, Lex Lakaiser continues to develop his position within underground Hip Hop. His music connects the influence of golden-era rap with contemporary independent production while maintaining a clear emphasis on lyricism and the craft of MCing.
His appearance on Mixtape Addict provides an opportunity to discuss that background, his development as an artist and the work behind his current catalogue. The interview also brings another North Carolina perspective to DJ King Flow’s continuing exploration of independent Hip Hop from different regional scenes.
DJ King Flow begins Mixtape Addict Episode 62 alongside Lex Lakaiser with Money and Leaders Not Followers, before Lex takes the spotlight alone on I Still Shine. The opening establishes a gritty independent character rooted in Boom Bap and Underground Hip Hop, with the guest appearing both as collaborator and solo artist before his interview later in the programme.
Soulrocca and Wildelux continue the lyrical focus with His Name Is, followed by Maine The Medicine, Sonlee and Ceverly Yours on Good Times. Kidd Called Quest and Mooch then bring Night Light into the sequence, strengthening the East Coast Hip Hop character before Contageous Funk and Kid Capri keep the first half connected to New York's underground and mixtape traditions.
Demrick and DJ Hoppa shift the geographical emphasis westward with What's Left Of Me, while KAAN, Coyote and DJ Hoppa continue that section through Breaking Bad. Raekwon and Nas then bring the programme firmly back to New York on the Nottz-produced The Omerta, combining veteran East Coast voices with the hard, sample-driven production that sits naturally within the show's underground format.
El Gant and Ras Kass link East and West Coast lyricism through Art Piece, before Ras Kass expands the line-up further on Mapogo Lions with Mopreme Shakur, Daylyt, Mad Lion, Bishop Lamont and Monstroe. This section brings a stronger West Coast Hip Hop presence into the programme, with battle-tested lyricism and multi-MC collaborations taking precedence over commercial rap structures.
Big Sant and Redcoat Da Poet add a Southern dimension through Supply & Demand and Vogues, giving the episode another regional contrast after its New York and West Coast sections. DJ Benoit, Grim Moses and Fli Fetti close the music selection with Know My Worth, maintaining the independent and lyric-led approach that runs throughout the first hour.
The episode finishes with DJ King Flow interviewing Lex Lakaiser, bringing the programme back to the artist who helped establish its opening sequence. Across the hour, New York Boom Bap, East Coast street rap, West Coast lyrical styles and Southern underground rap combine around a consistent emphasis on independent artists, hard drums and emcee-focused material.
DJ King Flow welcomed North Carolina MC Lex Lakaiser to Mixtape Addict for a conversation about mixtape culture, international collaboration, creative independence and the projects they have built together. Lex explained that Hip Hop remains part of his everyday routine, with two albums nearing completion and a strong focus on bringing more substance into his writing.
Asked to name his favourite DJs, Lex shared the recognition between DJ Premier, DJ Drama and several selectors who have influenced him internationally. He also credited King Flow's work with Mixtape Addict, saying the programme has become part of the effort to keep independent Hip Hop visible and introduce listeners to music outside the mainstream system.
Lex strongly misses the traditional mixtape format because it once gave unknown artists a route into listeners' collections without first requiring a major co-sign or industry campaign. He believes mixtapes rewarded quality and gave DJs genuine influence over discovery, whereas contemporary playlists often lack the same connection with the streets and local scenes.
North Carolina provided a particularly broad musical education because Lex grew up hearing influences from New York, Atlanta, the wider South and the West Coast. He described the state as a testing ground where different styles regularly meet, with Raleigh and surrounding areas attracting artists who want to gauge how their music connects outside their home territory.
Local DJs also played an important role in his development, including DJ Chuck T and the late DJ Bam from Burlington. Lex remembered recording a freestyle at Bam's house over a Junior M.A.F.I.A. beat and seeing that recording circulate locally, giving him an early example of how a DJ could introduce an MC to people beyond his immediate circle.
For Lex, a strong mixtape should never revolve around the same small group of artists repeatedly promoted by the industry. He wants DJs to introduce unfamiliar voices, contrasting styles and underground talent alongside recognised names because discovering somebody new was always one of the format's strongest qualities.
His own career began to take shape more seriously while he was stationed in Germany after serving in the military. Coming from a musical family, Lex had experimented with drums and other forms of music before recognising that writing and performing Hip Hop came naturally to him and gave him the clearest outlet for his ideas.
Rather than restricting himself to one subject or persona, Lex tries to build a catalogue that represents different areas of everyday life. He believes artists who keep learning and experiencing new things are unlikely to run out of material because the world around them constantly provides new subjects to write about.
That outlook also explains his view of longevity, which depends on spending time away from social media and actually experiencing different people, environments and cultures. Lex considers travelling, nature and ordinary conversations valuable creative resources because they give an artist more to draw from than whatever happens to be trending online.
His relationship with King Flow developed through music online before becoming a genuine friendship when King Flow travelled to North Carolina and stayed with Lex and his family. The pair spent time travelling through the state, making music and later travelled together to New York, where they visited SiriusXM and appeared around the Rap Is Outta Control programme.
One particularly memorable moment came when they entered the radio studio and heard their collaborative track Money already playing. For Lex, arriving in New York from Burlington and hearing music he had created with a French producer on a major Hip Hop radio platform demonstrated what could happen when online connections were developed into genuine working relationships.
Those sessions also produced their collaborative album The Contact, which Lex described as contemporary Hip Hop carrying the qualities he associates with earlier records without simply recreating the past. The project also includes a contribution from French artist Denzelism, while previously released material such as Money introduced the chemistry between Lex and King Flow before the full album.
Lex said the strength of The Contact came from actually spending time together instead of treating the project as a remote exchange of files. Their collaboration developed through conversations, travelling, studio sessions and shared experiences, allowing both artists to understand how the other thinks before translating those ideas into music.
Alongside The Contact, Lex has also been completing The Book of Enoch with German producer Jagger of Boom Jack Productions. He described that second record as a deeper project that gives him room to address serious subjects and reinforce his belief that an MC should function as an artist rather than simply producing verses without a wider concept.
His connection with European Hip Hop stretches back to his years in Germany, where he performed with an American group called First Brigade and became involved in the local underground circuit. He later spent more time travelling across Europe, built relationships with German producers and DJs, and eventually carried the knowledge from those sessions back to the United States when he established his own operation.
An early official release arrived around 2004, after years of recording material that Lex felt had strong ideas but lacked the final production needed for wider release. Working with producers in Germany taught him more about completing records, while returning to America eventually led to La Kaiser Entertainment, further solo work and the Splash Brothers project with his brother.
Lex also discussed working with Sadat X, explaining that an online conversation became a face-to-face meeting because he preferred establishing the relationship personally rather than handling everything through a screen. That approach represents a broader principle in his career, as he believes meeting collaborators directly creates stronger trust and makes it easier to build relationships that last beyond a single song.
International collaboration has subsequently become a defining part of his work, with producers in France and Germany playing a significant role in his catalogue. Lex sees musical ability as something that crosses nationality and background, judging collaborators by their understanding of Hip Hop, their ideas and the chemistry they bring to the work rather than where they come from.
Asked what younger MCs and producers should do, Lex advised them not to spend all their energy trying to reach established stars. He suggested finding another developing artist or producer whose work genuinely connects, building together from the ground up and allowing a shared identity to develop naturally through several projects.
Looking ahead, Lex hopes The Contact will create further opportunities for him and King Flow to work and perform together in Europe. He closed by explaining that his music is intended to offer hope and direction, encouraging listeners to reject negativity, think carefully about the choices around them and reconnect with the spiritual principles that guide his own work.
DJ King Flow & Lex Lakaiser Mixtape Addict episode 62
DJ King Flow & Lex Lakaiser - Money
DJ King Flow & Lex Lakaiser - Leaders Not Followers (ft Dnzl Izm)
Lex Lakaiser - I Still Shine
Soulrocca & Wildelux - His Name Is
Maine The Medicine, Sonlee & Ceverly Yours - Good Times
Kidd Called Quest & Mooch - Night Light
Contageous Funk - No Way Out
Kid Capri - Live From New York
Demrick & DJ Hoppa - What's Left Of Me
KAAN, Coyote & DJ Hoppa - Breaking Bad
Raekwon & Nas - The Omerta (Prod Nottz)
El Gant & Ras Kass - Art Piece
Ras Kass - Mapogo Lions ft Mopreme Shakur x Daylyt x Mad Lion x Bishop Lamont x Monstroe
Big Sant & Redcoat Da Poet - Supply & Demand
Big Sant & Redcoat Da Poet - Vogues
DJ Benoit, Grim Moses & Fli Fetti - Know My Worth
DJ King Flow - Interview with Lex Lakaiser
Listen on Mixcloud here.