A native son of Leicester, Apocraphe was a primal force in Midlands Hip Hop in the early 2000’s. As well as forming The Ill Smith Estate with National Freestyle Champion Troy Scalpels and Baron Samedi and playing across the UK and Europe (including at the UK Hiphop Awards) he also set up Main Rock Records in 2003.
He released two EPs himself (The Many Lives Of Apoc The Main Rock in 2003 and Long Don Spilverbs in 2004), with his video Mic Life featuring Scor-zay-zee and Scalpels was on regular rotation multiple times a day Channel U. He also released records for Baron Samedi, Ironbridge, Cappo, Skeptic and Jid Sames and many more.
He completed the album Prison Earth in 2008 with features from Madlib’s fellow Lootpack member Wildchild, US Dance Billboard chart topping singer (with Staxx of Joy) Carol Leeming and UK Slam Champion John Berkavitch. However due to personal complications the album was never officially released and Apocraphe stepped back from music for three years.
In 2011 he moved to Paris, France where he struck up a friendship with the legendary crew L’Affaire. Taking on manager duties for Naiad, a subsection group of L’Affaire composed of rappers Nostal and Tonio MC over a live jazz Hip Hop band, he authored, recorded and mixed a joint project album between them and super-producer Nat Powers (Snoop Dogg, Public Enemy, Spice 1, Professor Green and many more). The result was the critically acclaimed Soul Food with features from Apocraphe himself, Akil of Jurassic 5, Sonnyjim, Cappo, Japan Hip Hop Chart topping UK artist Lady Paradox and many more. He also recorded and mixed the Paris South Playa EP of Mothas La Masquerade (founder of L’Affaire) which had millions of streams and views across all platforms.
In 2017 Apocraphe moved to Toulouse, and in 2019 took on presentation of the main Toulouse Open Mic with K7 Hip Hop Band. With each event at multiple packed out venues, he established himself as a key presence in the Toulouse Hip Hop scene while acting as advisor and mentor to various artists.
With the arrival of Covid restrictions, the demand of producers and artists to work with him allowed him to open up his artistic creativity once more, creating The Escapist Handbook – a meditation on escapism in its many forms. Despite decades in the artform, or perhaps because of it, his form of lyricism remains fresh and relevant, and the album touches on every element of Hip Hop from boombap to drill, covering the spectrum of the artform.
With features ranging from newcomers such as Misiek of The Others through to multi-platinum French artist Lomepal alongside the rest of L’Affaire the album is accessible to all generations and every type of listener. This is grown up Hip Hop taking the listener on a journey through the darkness and into the light – we all need to find a way to escape.
- https://open.spotify.com/artist/6PfkG7WGJAqPH1FDSpBwD7
- https://www.instagram.com/apocmainrockah/
- https://www.facebook.com/Apocraphe/
