These three posts were originally published on March 5th 2012, back when I was still recording under the name Apollo. I would record in the coat closet of my studio apartment in Ypsilanti, Michigan. At the time, I had no budget — so I built entire albums around free beats through relationships I cultivated on SoundCloud. That hustle actually worked. To this day, my Apollo SoundCloud still holds over 6,000 followers.
That said, I wasn't in the best place mentally during those years, and I missed a window where SoundCloud's momentum could have really worked in my favor. I also stepped back from the platform because the monthly hosting costs aren't artist-friendly, and that hasn't changed — it's still not a priority for me financially.
I eventually started a second account under Eric Leo 108, where I released demos over borrowed beats that I later rebuilt into proper songs with original production. You can still find some of the earliest versions of tracks from my 2017 Chalice Mixtape on there — raw conceptions, some of which were always meant to live as mixtape cuts and nothing more.
Below are the original blog posts from 2012:
SoundCloud (EDVIS)
I have a confession to make. As a hip-hop artist, I absolutely love SoundCloud! The community is composed of other musicians, rappers, singers, and producers who do music themselves. I can tell some are just spectators and have joined the community to listen to music from great upcoming artists. It is a great community and I try to give back to it as much as I can because they have given me so much!When I first joined SoundCloud I thought it would just be a tool for me to be able to share my music with people I know over facebook, email, and messaging. But all the people on SoundCloud, all around the world, have been very kind to me. I started looking into other artists because I noticed they were friendly and wanted what I wanted; i.e., to come together and make some good music!My favorite SoundCloud story is that of DougDoesMusic. Flash forward to today and I am still doing collabs with DJs from all around the globe. Edvis is a house sensation in Portugal and asked me to do a voice over so they could put it over a track they will play at their gigs. They had some rather nice and flattering things to say about my voice so I completed their request. I also liked one of their house songs so much I put vocals over their free downloadable track and made it as part of my "No Going Back" release that is free and up on SoundCloud.
Recently I did a free release called "The Truth" over Kanye's Family Business Track. DJ Burning Dutch heard the release and requested the vocals so that he could put it over a different beat. He also requested the vocals to Good Dick. As requested, I put the accapella up and he made the tracks.
Lyceum Recordz - The Truth by DJ Burning Dutchá´°á´¶
Lyceum Recordz - Good D*ck by DJ Burning Dutchá´°á´¶
I don't get as much time as I want to work with other artists (or work on music, period). But, I always appreciate good music and try to help a fellow artist when I can. As a sign of good faith I am going to start putting up many of my the accapella vocals from my free tracks so that other DJs and producers may use them for their own creations. When it all comes down to it, I wish I had the time and resources to do more for the SoundCloud community by doing all custom demos, but by posting my vocals I am actually trying to help fast track the process for talented musicians.
I encourage DJs and producers to take my vocals and put them over your tracks. The hope is that by putting my vocals over their beat it will help them get recognized and build interest by other MCEEs who want to buy their beats. Ultimately, it helps the beat maker give a good demo, and it helps me by spreading my name and message. I only request that producers tag me and make me aware of their work.
I don't get as much time as I want to work with other artists (or work on music, period). But, I always appreciate good music and try to help a fellow artist when I can. As a sign of good faith I am going to start putting up many of my the accapella vocals from my free tracks so that other DJs and producers may use them for their own creations. When it all comes down to it, I wish I had the time and resources to do more for the SoundCloud community by doing all custom demos, but by posting my vocals I am actually trying to help fast track the process for talented musicians.
I encourage DJs and producers to take my vocals and put them over your tracks. The hope is that by putting my vocals over their beat it will help them get recognized and build interest by other MCEEs who want to buy their beats. Ultimately, it helps the beat maker give a good demo, and it helps me by spreading my name and message. I only request that producers tag me and make me aware of their work.
DougDoesMusic
From the first time I heard Leg Up, I knew Doug was ill! He has mad flow, keeps it's real, and has a good head on his shoulders. I remember taking one of his free tracks, recording with it, and being able to flow over it in a way I never had before. The track I made is called The Future (Call A Doctor). I don't know what it is about some beats, but the right ones just bring it out of me (but others I have to work for) and Doug has this knack of being spot on. Not only do his beats have a kick that really allows me to enunciate my lyrical ability, but his work, talent, content, and lyrics are insightful and incredibly inspiring.
Before I knew it Doug started doing a beat competition. I took every opportunity to just flow over Doug's new beat of the week. Overwhelmingly the response was positive and it garnered a lot of attention. Although I found out about the competition thanks to SoundCloud, the actual event was held on YouTube.
In these songs, what I am really doing is getting a feel for what E$ should sound like. Dickless Fucks (Corporate Congressmen) is my conception of a pissed off American talking to power and the real problem in America (i.e. Corporate Congressmen).
No Going Back: 06 Dickless F*cks (Corporate Congressmen) - Apollo + DougDoesMusic
However, around this same time, I went to Occupy Wall Street and when I came back I knew what the song was gonna be about. The experience in New York truly mellowed me out, made me have hope, and I was forced to calm myself down in order to make a track representative of the movement.
The truth is I met a lot of girls at OWS but one sticks out in my mind. Her name really was Hannah and she was the inspiration for the song. It was like fate hearing the beat for the first time. I could see how I could open it with the feel of a New York Mom & Pop shop where I had to ask for directions to the protest. Of course, to make it interesting, people love a story, and thinking about Hannah made me use a pleasant and loquacious tone.
However, around this same time, I went to Occupy Wall Street and when I came back I knew what the song was gonna be about. The experience in New York truly mellowed me out, made me have hope, and I was forced to calm myself down in order to make a track representative of the movement.
No Going Back: 02 Occupy Wall Street - Apollo + DougDoesMusic
The experience created some great tracks and I am eternally grateful to Doug for the opportunity. If I could recommend one artist to listen to courtesy of SoundCloud... DougDoesMusic would be it! Please check out DougDoesMusic on SoundCloud, YouTube, and Twitter. Many of the songs I did over Doug's beats are part of my free release No Going Back now available for download on SoundCloud.
Good Dick (Assassin Beats)
Thanks to SoundCloud this track is part of the "No Going Back" mixtape. Assassin Beats is a production company who approached me and asked me to put vocal over a beat. I chose the one I liked, they sent me the track, and now we have the Good Dick release.
What Good Dick really is, is E$ making fun of hip-hop. It's a parody of what hip-hop has become. A gimmick that talks about how I am better than you because I can get "all these bitches and hoes..." "I ain't afraid to fuck you just to prove I'm dominant" is that sentiment expressed lyrically. Of course it has an Apollonian twist to the Dionysian song when I say "if you approve of it."
No Going Back: 09 Good D*ck - E$ [Apollo] + Assassin Beats
The first verse explains my malcontent. The second verse and hook are just designed to be sexually provocative. And the third verse is me showing respect before going psycho/schizophrenic. I did have a specific person in mind when I wrote the second verse and hook...
Thanks for reading! Please comment!
Other Related blog(s): Juana World, The PsychoSocial Philosopher
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