L.O.V.E. Culture Announce New EP ‘Vol. 3,’ Share Details of Listening Party at The Walrus

Duval-based hip-hop collective L.O.V.E. Culture have announced a new six-song EP called Vol. 3, a follow-up to the 2021 full-length album 1827 N. Pearl and the third in a series of EP’s that began with 2019’s Vol. 1. The new album will debut on streaming platforms on January 8, and the group has planned a listening party at Murray Hill’s the Walrus prior to the release. 

With its core group of emcees — Che Forreign, Flash the Samurai, Spiritxiii, Easyin2D and Rob Mari — L.O.V.E. Culture has emerged as one of Jacksonville’s most-popular hip-hop acts on the strength of the synergistic flow deployed across more than a half-decade of adventurous releases. The group’s brand of harmonious, progressive hip-hop incorporates emotionally intelligent rhymes that, even when crossing into the braggadocious, more often cite spiritual searching and self-actualization strategies. 

Prolific songwriters — each with solo projects and frequent guest spots on the songs of other area artists — L.O.V.E. Culture has also earned a reputation as an engaging and exhilarating live act, performing at the many of North Florida’s biggest live music events and festivals, including Winterland, Jax Taco & Tequila Festival, Jax Porchfest and Jax River Jams, among others. The group was named one of 10 Local Artists to Watch by the Jacksonville Music Experience in 2022 and 2023, and their latest “RAP SONG” – the first single from Vol. 3 – was included in JME’s list of 23 Local Songs We Loved in ‘23. 

In a press release the group called Vol. 3 a “seven-year odyssey” that “blends hip-hop, rap, R&B, soul and neo-soul influences,” and cites Wu-Tang and The Fugees as inspiration for the new suite of songs. Longtime L.O.V.E. Culture collaborator DJ Larry Love is featured across Vol. 3, which, aside from the aforementioned “RAP SONG,” includes training-montage-esque cuts (“Thirst III”), love songs (“And Believe”), a track inspired by Jacksonville Jaguars signal caller Trevor Lawrence (“QB1”) and plenty of spiritual seeking (“ESP”). 

Before Vol. 3 hits streamers on January 8, L.O.V.E. Culture will offer the first public airing of the EP with a listening party at the Walrus in Murray Hill on Friday, January 5. The group will discuss the writing and production behind each new track (Note: I’ll moderate this discussion). After the listening party, DJ Larry Love will perform a set before Hush Hush Jax takes over for a silent disco in celebration of Flash the Samurai’s birthday. The event starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10-15 and are available here.