Apollo began making his own music in 1996 using now-archaic Voyetra audio software, then upgraded to Cool Edit 2000 in becoming a self-described bedroom beat-maker for roughly the next eight years. After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in business administration, he moved to the west side of Detroit and immersed himself in the local hip-hop community, forming the Black Day in July production crew with high school classmate and Wu-Tang affiliate Bronze Nazareth. When the pair branched off into individual work, Apollo relocated to the east side of the Motor City and continued to build before becoming disenchanted with music and stepping away from production for two years.
It was the mid-2000s, and the upstart producer saw no future for his work—work he had dedicated his life to—in an industry where radio was setting a formulaic pattern for mainstream music. But he eventually began to miss the creativity in his craft and began producing once again, releasing the instrumental albums Skilled Trade (2007) and Make Do (2009). Apollo was soon in high demand, collaborating with Detroiters Finale, MaGestiK LeGenD, Danny Brown, Paradime, and Kam Moye aka Supastition. He went on in 2009 to win the Detroit Red Bull Big Tune Championships and competed in the national finals. Apollo then signed as a producer with the Mello Music Group in December of 2009, having left Michigan in late 2007 to take a position as a property inspector in Cleveland, Ohio. A week after signing, he was laid off from his job.
“Beautiful,” was Apollo’s reaction, as he viewed the layoff as a blessing and prepared for what he terms his “one-year plan.” Starting things off will be The Reset, a series of reworked tracks in true remix tradition, with new music and arrangements for verses by Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother, Black Milk, MED, Grap Luva, labelmates Kenn Starr, Oddisee, and Diamond District, along with a host of others.
Next up was Brown Study with Boog Brown which features Miz Korona, Invincible, Kam Moye, and Kenn Starr. When the long-awaited Gas Mask LP by The Left with DJ Soko and MC Journalist 103 took the stage in late October 2010 Apollo cemented his place as one of the games best new producers.
Then early in 2011 Apollo released his first Mello Music Group instrumental album, Clouds, and dominated best of lists at the end of the year. 2011 also saw the release of the album Daily Bread, with Rochester, New York MC Hassaan Mackey.
After taking just under a year off to create a new masterpiece, Apollo released his biggest album to date with the legendary O.C. of D.I.T.C. entitled Trophies. The internet again became abuzz with talk of album of the year. Never one to rest on his laurels, Apollo spent the next 7 months both campaigning for "Trophies" and putting together another album, Dice Game, with Motor City compatriot Guilty Simpson. The result of his intense immersion in his work was yet another year with two albums ("Dice Game" and "Trophies") ending up on people's Best of 2012 lists.
Apollo’s credo is simple: “Everything I make, I try to make it my favorite album of all time.”
Black Pearls
Apollo Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna shoot you right down
Right off your feet
Take you home with me
Put you in my house
Boom, boom, boom, boom
I love to see you strut
And when you talking to me that baby talk
I like it like that
Oh, when you talk like that
You knocks me out
Right off of my feet
Hoo, hoo, hoo, whoa, yeah
Walk the walk baby
Talk that talk right now
And talk that talk right now, baby
Whoa, yeah
And talk that talk
And walk that walk
Walk the walk, baby
And talk that talk
And you whisper in my ear
I can't take it like that
You knocks me out
And when you talk like that
I can't take it like that
Oh, when you talk like that
You knocks me out
Right off of my feet
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hoo, hoo, hoo
Walk the walk baby
Talk that talk right now baby
You can talk that talk, baby
Talk that talk, that baby talk
Can't take it like that
No baby
The lyrics to Apollo Brown's song "Black Pearls" reference the classic blues song "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker. The singer in the song expresses their admiration for a woman's sensual and alluring demeanor. The repetition of the phrase "Boom, boom, boom, boom" serves as a metaphor for the singer's attraction to her, as if her presence causes their heart to beat rapidly. The imagery of being knocked off one's feet adds to this theme of being swept away by the woman's charm.
The woman's "baby talk" further emphasizes her youthful and playful nature, which only adds to the singer's fascination. The use of the phrase "walk the walk" and "talk the talk" suggests that the woman not only presents herself as confident and attractive, but also follows through on it. This idea of being true to oneself and authentic is further emphasized later in the song when the singer responds to the woman's whisper "I can't take it like that" by acknowledging that her honest expression of desire knocks them off their feet.
Overall, the song "Black Pearls" is a modern interpretation of a classic blues song that highlights the enduring allure of confident and alluring women.
Line by Line Meaning
Boom, boom, boom, boom
Starting the song with a repetitive sound emphasizing the music's rhythm
I'm gonna shoot you right down
Assertive language, bragging with a potential shooting that also implies the singer’s toughness
Right off your feet
The shooting action metaphorically connects to sweeping someone off their feet, usually suggesting romance or infatuation
Take you home with me
The artist declares taking the object of desire to his home, presumably to get intimate
Put you in my house
A continuation of the previous line, a more aggressive tone, and language
I love to see you strut
Transferring from the previous assertion towards the admiration and appreciation of the desired person
Up and down the floor
Referring to the way the person moves, possibly dancing or walking, making them even more attractive in the singer's eyes
And when you talking to me that baby talk
The artist perceives even the way the person talks as charming, invoking the phrase 'baby talk' to complement the notion
I like it like that
Reinforcing the idea that the artist enjoys everything about the object of desire, provides a positive outlook for the rest of the song
Oh, when you talk like that
Affirming the person's way of talking, ensuring again how much this is appreciated by the artist
You knocks me out
Emphasizing how mesmerizing the person is for the singer, possibly hinting that the singer is overwhelmed by feelings
Right off of my feet
Repeating the metaphor of getting swept off one's feet, indicative of something sudden and powerful - love, infatuation, admiration, etc.
Walk the walk baby
A command to the person to act confidently for the singer's entertainment
Talk that talk right now
Encouraging the person to keep talking, expressing again how sensual the language is to the singer.
And you whisper in my ear
A more intimate moment between the two, signifying potential closeness or isolation that allows whispering
I can't take it like that
A phrase used to indicate that something is unbearable or overwhelming, used in this context to illustrate how the person's actions affect the artist's emotional state
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hoo, hoo, hoo
Vocalizations meant to be enjoyable to the listener, enhancing the experience of the song
You can talk that talk, baby
The singer reassuring the person that they indeed can use such an attractive language with a slightly different phrasing
Talk that talk, that baby talk
Repeating the idea of the person's speech being attractive, inviting them to continue using it
Can't take it like that
Repeating the phrase from earlier, making it the chorus of the song, emphasizing that the artist is overwhelmed by the person's charm
Contributed by Vivian S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Darek Read
on Learn the Meaning
feeling apollo brown been writing to his beats for years some of my best i ever wrote