Apollo Brown is different than most producers. He grew up on the Seals & Cr… Read Full Bio ↴Apollo Brown is different than most producers. He grew up on the Seals & Crofts—not The Isley Brothers—version of Summer Breeze. Born into a bi-racial family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, his early influences skewed more toward the music of Journey and the Carpenters than the urban genres his peers often cite as inspiration. This is not to say that once hip-hop came into play, Apollo wasn’t all in. Just as easily as he can praise the virtues of yacht rock, the 29-year-old beatsmith can name personal heroes—Gang Starr, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, M.O.P., Nas, and Black Moon—from the early 90s period in which, for him, beats and rhymes became life.

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.”

Choices
Apollo Brown Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Make the yuletide gay
From now on our troubles will be miles away

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends that are dear to us
Gather near to us once more

Through the years we all
Will be together if the faiths allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a Merry Little Christmas night

Through the years
We all will be together if the faiths allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough

And have yourself a Merry Little Christmas night
And have yourself a Merry Little Christmas night

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Apollo Brown's "Choices" are reflective of the difficult decisions one must make in life. Brown speaks on balancing the need for success with the morality of one's actions, often being caught between choosing between doing what is right and what is best for oneself. The chorus, which samples "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," is an ironic juxtaposition against the verses. The song focuses on the choices that impact one's entire existence, while the song that lies beneath it is about temporary happiness and an escape from the struggles of life.

In particular, the line "From now on our troubles will be out of sight" feels especially poignant in this context. Brown speaks on personal struggles not being able to disappear, even if one achieves success. The idea of one’s troubles disappearing embodies a certain fantasy of being free of responsibility and living without consequence. Brown’s context, on the other hand, focuses on living with accountability and living with the choices we make.

Line by Line Meaning

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Wishing you to have a joyous Christmas

Let your heart be light
Allow yourself to feel light and happy

From now on our troubles will be out of sight
Our worries will disappear from this moment onwards

Make the yuletide gay
Enjoy the festive season to the fullest

From now on our troubles will be miles away
Our concerns will be far away from us from now on

Here we are as in olden days
We are together, reminiscing the old times

Happy golden days of yore
Recalling the happy memories of the past

Faithful friends that are dear to us
Loyal friends who are important to us

Gather near to us once more
Come close to us once again

Through the years we all
Throughout the years, all of us

Will be together if the faiths allow
We will stay together if fate grants us