What’s your stage name and where are you from?
My stage name is ETP and I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD
What’s the story behind your stage name?
I got my stage name from the fact that my mom originally was gonna name me Treyvon as a kid. She told me that God told her to name me Elijah instead. So I wanted my name to reflect my connection to spirituality since birth.
Describe your musical journey in three sentences.
I started out writing poetry at 13 years old as a coping mechanism for everything happening in my life at the time. Around 9th grade, my friend Cameron read my poems and suggested I started rapping. I wasn’t taking it seriously at first b/c I didn’t care to be a celebrity, but eventually I grew a love for it as it made me feel seen and helped me find acceptance amongst my peers.
Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.
While making one of my latest tracks, I told my engineer KB to add reverb on the backend vocals and he accidently put it on the hook instead. I like how it sounded so I kept it in.
What message do you want to convey through your music?
There are a few messages I desire to convey in my music, but the most important one I’d say is to not be afraid to embrace your individuality, quirks, and vulnerabilities. A big part of my music is taking care of your mental health. I want to encourage my listeners to push pass their insecurites and to stop caring about the general publics opinions about their personal interest, fashion sense, personality, sense of humor, music taste (of course lol), etc.
Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.
One of my biggest challenges while working was working with very little studio time b/c I didn’t have the funds to get more time. I pulled an all nighter while writing a song and I had to go straight to the studio to record with no energy and not that much time to work with. I one taked each verse and was able to get it in time. I overcame it by making comprimises with my studio process and getting the recording done.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
The number one artist on my bucket list to work with is Lil Wayne. Wayne had a huge impact on me, not just as a person, but as an individual all together. Wayne is a big part of the reason I have the confidence to be my realest self b/c he was never ashamed to be his realest self compared to the more toxic-masculine artist of his generation. He wore unconventional clothing, had colored dreads, skateboarded, had an unorthodox rapping style, etc. He’s easily top 5 for me.
Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?
Ideally, I see myself known as the best hip hop artist under 35. I see myself having a critically acclaimed debut album and maaaayyyybeee a grammy (fingers crossed). I also desire to have a big impact on the younger generation, hoping to have my album cover be posted on college dorm bedroom walls.
What’s the next big step for you as an artist?
I’m taking a big leap of faith and going to LA to pursue music professionally (as LA is up right now in the hip hop realm).
Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?
You can go listen to my mixtape LUNAR ESCAPIST on all DSP’s under the name ETP.
You can go watch my latest vlog ETP Presents: ESCAPIST VLOGS EP #2 [God Speed For Women’s Rights] here: https://youtu.be/F4jG5kO7vio
