Born in Suffolk, Virginia, Lexus Arnel Lewis, a.k.a. Lex Luger, started making beats on a Compaq laptop in his Dad’s kitchen in 2009, when he was only 18 years old. Using only FL Studio (Fruity Loops), he quickly honed in on a synthetic and dramatic sound that would define hip-hop instrumentals for the next 3 years. Luger got his big break by sending beats to a rising rapper by the name of Waka Flocka Flame via Myspace. He’s only 21 now, but he’s made beats for some of the biggest rappers in the game.

Lex Luger didn’t invent “trap music,” a rap subgenre that refers to the “trap,” or the location where drugs are commonly sold. A self-made success story, the Virginia-born producer managed to bring trap music to a state of legitimacy within the larger hip-hop scene, penning instrumentals for hits such as “H.A.M.” (Kanye West & Jay-Z), “Hustle Hard” (Ace Hood), “Round Of Applause” (Waka Flocka Flame feat. Drake), and “That Way” (Wale).

With his onslaught of radio-ready releases, and the easy access to his tools (Fruity Loops retails for less than $300), his style allowed for countless imitators, all flooding the airwaves with the trap sound: dirty beats, orchestral leads, and dramatic (albeit synthetic) soundscapes. Let’s check out the best of Lex Luger.