Benjamin Lerner
Benjamin Lerner, the great grandson of Irving Berlin (composer of
such standards as God Bless America and White Christmas), is a classically
trained pianist, currently working on his debut album, featuring his all-
original piano-raps, which focus on addiction and sobriety.
On Vermont
“My dad used to always bring me up here when I was a kid. He built
a house in Sandgate in the 1970s. He wanted to be part of these post-
Woodstock hippie farm communes. He turned it into his sanctuary. He
would take me out of my posh urban life and into this stark reality.
The peace that I feel on the top of that hill, carrying on the legacy of
that hippie woodsman—who gave me the gift of knowing the pride and
satisfaction that can come from hard work—is incredible. I wouldn’t give
it up for anything.”
On Rapping
“It was hard at first, because there is a difference between being able
to rhyme words and being able to do it rhythmically. I was a poet, but
was never really a singer. My instrument was always my hands. So, it
was a process. But I got into rap by being a fan of rap music. In social
situations it was a sign of status to be in the middle of the party and
rhyme over beats on command. I thought it was an incredible skill and I
wanted to be part of it.”
“From being able to
express myself,
I don’t just make
music, I come face
to face with who I
am as a person—it’s
like putting a piece
of your soul on paper
musically.”
–Benjamin Lerner
On Talent
“Talent is a lot like addiction. It can come out of nowhere, but if there
is a history of it, I think that is a definite influence. It certainly made
it easier for me to discover that I had an ability with words and music,
because I had a family that was interested in those things. What was
most important was that when I made the move from classical piano
to rap music, although there was some resistance, my parents didn’t
cut me off from it. They didn’t make my true passion the forbidden
fruit. There’s so much joy that I get out of writing my own songs and
combining these two media. I never would have gotten that out of pure
classical piano playing. If they had punished me for combining my love
for music and poetry in the way that I do, I wouldn’t be able to make the
music, but more important, I wouldn’t know who I was in the way that
I do today. From being able to express myself, I don’t just make music, I
come face to face with who I am as a person—it’s like putting a piece of
your soul on paper musically.”
manchester life magazine 2019 55