Creating music for over a decade, Tony Jivers is a rap producer that goes by the stage name of Apollotone. You can feel the love he has for his community when he talks about continued growth in Charlotte.
Background
He started rapping with his friends around the age of 14, for laughs. It was when Apollotone discovered 9th Wonder, another rap producer from North Carolina, that he started creating his own beats. He started using his mother’s laptop at 16 where he said, “I fell in love with the making of it.”
The Trilogy
Model is the first album in this trilogy. This was created with an idea of a ‘beautiful tragedy,’ in honor of Charlotte’s abstract painter, Micheal Frank. The music on Model is a more raw approach to a body of work from Apollotone.
Muse is a fan favoirte, and Apollotone’s second album in a trilogy. Which speaks about moving on and seeking inspiration. Apolloto9ne spoke to me about how he wanted to keep the ‘tragedy’ flowing while putting some real life into his music. Muse came about when he brought his closest friends together to make ‘commercial’ music, like his song One Call. Apollotone wants to create melody driven music, because “it’s forever.” This second album paved the way for Apollotone to perform live shows.
While Masterpiece has yet to come out, he speaks highly of it. The final album is going to be about being true to hisself, while keeping that beautiful tragedy going. Masterpiece is set to release at the end of the year. “When it’s cold, [people] have the time to sit and actually listen to music.” Apollotone believes that people really appreciate music better in the winter when it’s too cold to go out.
The Creative Process
Apollotone works with many other co-producers in Charlotte. The creative process is different depending on each one. When working with Abstract, he gives him the direction and then Abstract plays it that way. “I arrange it and make the song after.” Apollotone said, “I get it done however, there’s no one-way.”
Apollotone wants his music to have ‘heart pulling’ and ‘theatrics’ emotions. With his music pulling inspiration from R&B his mom would play on road trips, he says his creative process is different each time. He speaks highly of the other music producers in the area, giving a shout out to Jstacks Beats, DuRu Tha King, Abstract Conquest, and Harrycin.
Love For His Community
“I want to give a shout out to Charlotte.” Apollotone loves his community and wants to see it thrive. He wants to give back and work with other artists in Charlotte. The love he has for his hometown is amazing and you can hear it in his voice when he talks about Charlotte.
“My main goal is collective conscious on an understanding to grow opportunity here.”
Apollotone
“Be good to people because it always comes back around,” Apollotone has advice for aspiring artists just starting out. He reminds future and current artists to ask questions, learn some business, and be a helping hand. All off these can open doors to future opportunities, such music deals through sync licensing and other collaborations.
What’s Next
Apollotone is currently learning all he can about the publishing side of the industry. He has already had a conversation about getting his music into a video game and other sync licensing opporutnites. He knows the benefits to having his music in projects such as these and encourages others to learn up on it.
Apollotone said he’s currently busy with work, and his Masterpiece album, performing shows this year are not a priority. His next show is Februrary 9th at The Evening Muse at 10:30pm with Council Ring. You can purchase tickets here.
I personally can’t wait to see where this opportunity takes him, and I am eagerly awaiting the release of his album, Masterpiece. Stay in the loop with more of Apollotone and his journey via Respectmyregion.com.
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