I met Apollo for the first time at DJ B-Lord’s party in 2010. What stood out to me was at that time, it was about 10 of them that were sort of a collective, and they were all talented. Apollo has been at it for years, and he’s now progressed into different arenas. Check it him out below.
How long have you been doing music?
I’ve been involved in music since I was 11. I started out playing drums in church then learn how to make beats in my spare time at the high school. I attended South Carolina State where I found my love for production and DJ’ng
What’s been your biggest accomplishment in music?
My biggest accomplishment if I had to pick one would be staying in it this long. I have been through a lot of changes in music and how people consume music and I have had to adjust to the times so I’m just glad to still be here and relevant.
What’s been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge in my career would be balancing my personal life with my DJ life. It can get difficult trying to be a DJ, friend, a partner and everything else people need you to be for them, all while still trying to accomplish your goals.
Coming out of the Carolinas, what do you think is keeping artists from getting more notoriety? (DJs, non support, lack of resources, etc)
In my opinion, there are a couple factors to consider. I feel one reason is some artists from Carolinas (Not All) just don’t know how to move as an artist, at the end of the day, you are a brand so you should be trying to sell yourself.. Go to these other city’s/towns and build relationships with the DJs, playlist creators and ppl with influence. Spotify & Apple Music is just not enough.
What about the Carolinas music makes it stand out from the rest?
I think the Carolina sound right now is probably the southern soul as a whole. I feel like that probably represents the Carolinas the best musically. No everybody’s not a southern soul artist, but when it comes to some of our rap songs or R&B songs, I can’t identify one particular sound or a pocket that would represent the Carolinas as a whole. I feel the southern soul music right now is making people dance again, which is making people have fun and I’m happy that the Carolinas are in the forefront of that movement.
Any advice for other artists starting their career?
My advice for any artist starting out first & foremost is to be yourself. Don’t go in the studio making music that doesn’t represent who you really are because people are gonna fact check that.. Also it’s great if you play instrument because relying on streams just isn’t enough but you can clean up some good money if you can play an instrument and go get some gigs.