In this interview spotlight, I chat with Apollo about his new single, 215, as well as challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I’m from Omaha, Nebraska but I also frequently fly out to Philadelphia to record. The way I would describe my sound is ADHD space trap with rock influences. There is a lot going on all at once between spacey beats and the straight off the top flows. I’m heavily influenced by artists such as Kid Cudi, Lil Uzi Vert, and Linkin Park.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
It’s kind of crazy I wouldn’t have even imagined I would be here a year ago. It was like 3am and I was hittin up as many people I could looking for a feature from Lil Uzi Vert Like I had ultimately expected no one responded until Maaly Raw happened to respond and be in the same room as him. The feature I was looking for never came to fruition, but 5 days later I was on a flight to Philly listening to a beat pack Maal sent.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
This song is really showcasing myself as an artist and letting the world know that I’m not here to play games. My other drops are really important to me and I love them, but 215 is on a level of its own that really highlights the point that “Apollo” fully emerged from within myself. It also represents starting a new chapter in my life and career.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
The biggest challenge I’d have to say I’ve faced is probably self-doubt and pushing through even when nothing is going the way I had planned at all. Technology has definitely helped me, I mean I wouldn’t even have this beat if it weren’t for a dm at 3am. It’s also a blessing and a curse that hip hop is like the most popular genre right now. Rap is a pretty over-saturated market right now, but it’s also competitive with room for others to come up and I believe I have a truly unique sound that sets me apart from others.
What was the last song you listened to?
Hi Roller by Lil Uzi Vert
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I prefer MP3s just for the convenience of having access to a massive catalog of music, and to be honest I’m not the most organized person and tend to lose or misplace things such as CDs.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I normally use Apple Music just because I never really was into listening to other peoples playlists. I will on occasion put a playlist on in the background, but I normally like hand selecting the song I’m going to play next so I don’t run into the issue as often if I didn’t give this song the proper listen and restarting halfway through. I also like SoundCloud because it is nice for playlists and discovering new music/artists.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, Soundcloud username “@Raybanrager” as well as on every major streaming service on my own tracks or in my duo group with TSobs called Earthchild.
Anything else before we sign off?
Be expecting more fire coming in the near future, I’m just getting started.
