Fresh off the release of his debut Dreamville release, West 1996 Pt. 2, Lute came by the studio to talk about how one day he was getting in trouble for using his phone at his job in Walmart, and the next he was kicking it with J. Cole, who just so happened to be a fan.

Lute also discusses the long process behind the new release and why sometimes he found himself having doubts about it, as well as what's it's like for him now to watch the gentrification of the west Charlotte neighborhoods he grew up in.

As always, remember to drop in on our iTunes page to catch up on previous episodes and rate/review us if you like what we're doing. If you don't like what we're doing, don't rate shit, just keep it moving.

• [From left] Ryan Pitkin, Lute and Mark Kemp.

The Johnson C. Smith University Board of Trustees this morning announced the selection of Clarence D. "Clay" Armbrister as the new president of the university. He will be the historic black college's 14th president.

Armbrister currently serves as president of Girard College, an independent college preparatory five-day boarding school for academically capable students from economically disadvantaged families in the Philadelphia region. Before that, he served in leadership roles at John Hopkins and Temple universities.

• Clarence D. "Clay" Armbrister.

Armbrister will replace Dr. Ronald L. Carter, who has served as president of JCSU for nine years and announced his retirement in August 2016. Armbrister, a first generation college graduate, said he's excited to build on the "unparalleled success" of Carter's work.

“I am honored and humbled to have been selected as the 14th president of Johnson C. Smith University, which throughout its 150-year history has improved the lives of its students and contributed to the growth of Charlotte,” Armbrister said in a press release from JCSU this morning. “I am especially looking forward to working with the board, the faculty, staff and administration to position JCSU as one of the finest institutions of higher education in the country that meets not only the needs of its students, but those of the communities it serves — locally, regionally and globally."

Armbrister will take over as president on Jan. 1, 2018, the day after Carter plans to officially step down. Armbrister and his wife will be introduced to the JCSU community on Thursday, October 19.

In this morning's release, Bernard W. Smalley, vice chair of the Board of Directors of City Trusts and chair of the Girard College Committee, praised Armbrister's leadership, passion for education and dedication to student development.

“I have had the privilege — and it is a genuine privilege — to work closely with Clay Armbrister over the last five years,” Smalley said. “He has worked tirelessly in leading the development of a new curriculum that is preparing our students to be even more successful in college and build lives as productive citizens. Through that work, it became clear that Clay has a passion for shaping young lives through the power of higher education, and JCSU offers a challenge that he just couldn’t pass up. I know this much: JCSU is getting a great leader who is dedicated to the cause of helping young people use higher education to build successful and productive lives.”

Charlotte rapper Lute today released his first new material in two years, and it was well worth the wait. It's his first release since signing on with J. Cole's Dreamville label in 2015.

He also released a video for the album's first single, "Morning Shift." It shows Lute escaping from the fictional Slum County Correctional Facility in hopes to make it to his little girl's birthday party, but not is all as it seems.

Visit Lute's Dreamville page to download or stream the album on a multitude of platforms, and stay tuned to CL for more coverage, as Lute plans to drop by the 'Local Vibes' podcast studio this weekend, and we'll be getting that conversation to you within the week.

Episode 11 gets off to a bit of a dark start, but it brightens up a bit as Phillip Gripper of Modern Primitives and Space Wizard discusses his work between the drums and the keyboard, as well as how his love for rollerblading and the upcoming opening of his skate/blade/bike/whatever park Oso, which he aims to make a space for progress in the community.

As always, don't forget to check out our iTunes page to catch up on all the old episodes. They're all good, believe us.

On a technical note, we are aware that we sort of make it sound like we're going to play you out with a full version of Modern Primitives' "Lay With the Dead," but due to shitty sound levels (Ryan must have hit the fader), we cut that so we don't damage anyone's ears. But here's the video:

In this week's Episode of Local Vibes, DJ SPK and Black Linen talk about Charlotte's hip-hop scene, from how it compares with Atlanta to Black Linen's battle against pay-to-play.

And don't forget to catch up on all the past episodes on our iTunes page.

• [From left] Black Linen, Mark Kemp, Ryan Pitkin and DJ SPK.

We last spoke with Charlotte rapper Mason Parker in May, as he prepared to fly out to Los Angeles and start building his brand on a national level. He recently came back to Charlotte to see his kids and send them off to school for a new year, but we couldn't let him go without having him in the studio for a chat about how life in L.A. has been treating him, what makes him homesick and his thoughts on the Charlotte rap scene as it is today.

And don't forget to check out our iTunes page to catch up on past episodes.

• [From left] Ryan Pitkin, Mason Parker and Mark Kemp in the Hygge West studio.