Below is a song, “Euthanasia”, from Apollo Charles. Apollo, taking aim at The Establishment, The Man, and The Powers That Be, is gonna come with a rhythmically and ideologically complex flow. Out of Oregon, Matthew Bogart is one of the most prolific emcees you’ll come across. below is his song “Euthanasia”. Apollo’s raw and unfinished style forms a great counterpoint to the smoother nature of his beats, which gives him room to expand and contract his flow as he wants. Sometimes there will be a lot of space to let the beat breathe, and other times Apollo fills up all the room there is. Any aspiring emcee could take a page out of his book for his hard work ethic, his confident delivery, and his instinctive feel for pacing.
Composer’s Corner: When you start writing rap, do you start with the rhythm or the text (the words themselves)?
Apollo: When I am writing I usually start with the text and the message that Im trying to coney with that given line
Composer’s Corner: How do you write your rhymes?
Apollo: I always try to carry around a
notebook in my backback, although when Im out and about I usually jot
the lines I think of during the day into my iphone into notes..but
nothing beats writing on paper. I’ll write whenever I feel like I have
something to say
Composer’s Corner: What musical training do you have?
Apollo: I have no musical training, and I can’t play any instruments..but I plan to learn the piano
Composer’s Corner: Who’s your favorite rapper? Who’s your favorite producer?
Apollo: Favorite rapper all time is Lupe Fiasco, and I don’t have a favorite producer
Composer’s Corner: When you write rhymes, do you always write them to the beat? Or do
you write the rhymes, and then try to find a beat to match them?
Apollo: Sometimes I write acapella, but I prefer writing to a beat; that way I can really feel the mood of the instrumental
Composer’s Corner: When you put the rhymes and beat together, is that it? Or do you back
and forth between the two to make them work better together?
Apollo: My artistic process hasn’t been fully formed yet, the depth of technicality depends on the song though.
Composer’s Corner: In your opinion, is rap music, poetry, or both?
Apollo: I think all rap is poetry essentially..but that doesn’t mean that it’s good poetry, haha.
