Elijah The Young Prophit – Tells Us How He Connected With Erick Sermon, Not Following Trends & More

Def Squad is making some pretty big moves this year with both K Solo and Keith Murray recording new material. Included in the big moves is a new comer, a young man who has been afforded a seat among the greats on the roster at Def Squad. Def Squad was kind enough to allow Elijah The Young Prophit to answer a few questions for us.

 

Elijah The Young Prophit – how did you come up with that name? 

My name was eventually a bar in one of my songs and I guess I seemed to like it so much I started calling myself “Young Prophit”. The name is a mixture between prophet and profit. I find it very intricate.

We hear you are doing some really incredible things at such a young age.  Who inspired you to become a rapper/artist? 

Well it really just came natural. I’ve been rapping since the age of 6 and there’s stories of me dancing to rap at the age of 2 so I guess it was always there and I was always supposed to do it. All I had to do was put in the effort to succeed. My father helped me in a way not intended. All he used to play in the car was Jay-Z Biggie and Big L so like a sponge I guess I absorbed all the information myself.

Why aren’t you following the trends of other artists in your age group? 

I’ve never really felt the need to and I honestly never wanted to. I listened to a lot of artists on the radio and they pretty much sound the same to me. I know a man has to do what he has to do to get the bag but what these newbies don’t understand is that there’s a deeper meaning behind the songs and there’s a really rich culture in hip hop. Very few of today’s artists are attentive to this and I feel like it’s up to me to uplift the youth and get them out of the zombie trance they’re in.

Are you afraid that your peers might not be receptive to staying with the traditional boom bap Hip Hop?

I’ve never been afraid but I have been skeptical. I thought they were so attached to today’s kind of music that they wouldn’t want to experience anything else. But I was wrong. If a kid sees me rapping he’s automatically attracted to my style because he’s most likely never heard it before. The boom bap movement is new to today’s younger generation so when they see me doing what I do they’ll wonder where I got it from and hopefully go back to the roots and find out that there’s way more to it than just music.

Related: EMG & Def Squad presents Elijah The young Prophit

We certainly commend you for the style you have embraced.  We see you have a video where you cover a classic EPMD record “It’s My Thing” with Erick Sermon in the video. Very dope! How did you link up with “The Green Eyed Bandit?”

You know the story is too complex to explain in full detail but I would say divine order. My manager and uncle, J Money/Jeff has known him and the people in his circle for years and all it took was for me to make a little ripple in the ocean and the sharks took notice. So I’ll continue working with the def squad crew and continue surrounding myself with the greats.

While working with Erick Sermon and super producer Rockwilder   What did you learn that stand out?

I’ve learned way too much to number. Rock will give a life lesson in the matter of 3 minutes. It’s like he always knows which direction a song should go and he knows what should be said to get the listener engaged. In areas where I’ll be missing something Rock is there to correct and fill that space. Erick has taught me a lot about why I am here and how I’m gonna Change hip hop for the better. Both of them drop jewels on the regular.

Where do you see your music going in the new town few years? 

I see my music reaching a higher level in a few years with the guidance and professional minds behind me I feel that in about 3-4 years my skills are gonna improve exponentially. After a while I’m not gonna need anyone to tell me anything I’m going to be doing everything on my own music wise.

So many artists are doing the independent thing. Are you striving for a major deal?

I’m a little ambivalent on a major deal or staying independent because with a major deal you get the bag a little quicker and you get more exposure faster. But with independence you get the bag and all the contents within it and you also get your own exposure. So I’m borderline on that decision, although I won’t refuse if the deal is well set.

Who would you like to work with in the future? Which artists do you listen/have on your playlist? 

I would love to work with Lloyd Banks in the future. Our styles together seem like a perfect match. My playlist consists of him Jay Z Nas Biggie Jodeci Kanye West Big Land Slick Rick.

Where do you see the most room for improvement in today’s saturated music market?

I feel like the music market could improve by being divided into sections. A southern type of rap and a northern type of rap. Right now the majority of the market is southern with even some northerners converting to the southern style. So when we can get that balance I feel like hip hop will be elevated to new heights.

In closing. Will you be at SXSW next year? If so, we hope to see you there!

SXSW is definitely in the plans in the near future, so don’t be shocked if you see me there.