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.”
Father and Son
Apollo Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sade donne moi
Sade dit moi qu'est ce que tu vas chercher?
le bien par le mal
la vertu par le vice
Sade dit moi pourquoi l' 'evangile du mal?
quelle est ta religion ou` sont tes fide`les?
Si tu es contre Dieu, tu es contre l'homme.
Le plaisir sans l'amour.
N'y a t'il plus de sentiment dans le culte de l'homme?
Sade es-tu diabolique ou divin?
Sade, tell me...
Sade, give me...
Sade, tell me... what is it that you seek?
The rightness of wrong, the virtue of vice...
Sade, tell me... why the Gospel of evil?
What is your religion? Where are your faithful?
If you are against God, you are against man...
Sade, tell me... why blood for pleasure? Pleasure without love?
Is there no emotion in the cult of man?
Sade, are you diabolical or divine?
SADENESS (Extended Version lyrics in)
Sade dit moi
Sade donne moi
Sade dit moi...
qu'est ce que tu vas chercher?
le bien par le mal, la vertu par le vice?
Sade dit moi...
pourquoi l' 'evangile du mal?
quelle est ta religion ou` sont tes fide`les?
Si tu es contre Dieu, tu es contre l'homme.
Sade es-tu diabolique ou divin?
Sade dit moi...
Sade donne moi...
Sade dit moi...
Sade donne moi...
Sade dit moi...
Sade donne moi...(x3 to fade)
Sade, tell me...
Sade, give me...
Sade, tell me...
what is it that you seek?
The rightness of wrong, the virtue of vice...
Sade, tell me...
why the Gospel of evil?
What is your religion? Where are your faithful?
If you are against God, you are against man...
Sade, are you diabolical or divine?
Sade, tell me...
Sade, give me...
Sade, tell me...
Sade, give me...
The principals of lust are easy to understand...
do what you feel, feel until the end.
The principals of lust, are burned in your mind,
do what you want, do it until you find love.
The principals of lust are easy to understand...
do what you feel, feel until the end.
The principals of lust, are burned in your mind,
do what you want, do it until you find love.
Sade dit moi...
Sade donne moi... (Repeat until fade)...
Sade dit moi...
Sade donne moi...
The lyrics of Apollo Brown's song Father and Son, particularly the lines "Sade tell me, Sade give me, what is it that you seek? The rightness of wrong, the virtue of vice..." refer to the French writer and philosopher, Marquis de Sade. He is known for his writings, which were mostly erotic and scandalous, that pushed the boundaries of what was considered proper in his time, leading to his eventual imprisonment. He believed in the idea of the "divine libertine," where God allows humans to follow their desires without any moral restriction.
The song's lyrics ask Sade why he chooses to pursue good through evil and virtue through vice, and why he believes in the "Gospel of evil." The lyrics also question his religious beliefs and why he finds pleasure in the shedding of blood, without any emotion tied to it. The line "Sade es-tu diabolique ou divin?" asks if he is either diabolical or divine, referencing the contrasting nature of his beliefs.
In essence, the song delves into the philosophical and moral beliefs of the Marquis de Sade, who was known for his controversial thoughts on human desires and the role of morality in society. Through the lyrics, Apollo Brown seeks to understand or challenge Sade's beliefs and whether they are ultimately beneficial or detrimental to human nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Sade, tell me...
The singer is addressing Sade, asking for an explanation
Sade, give me...
The singer is asking for something from Sade
Sade, tell me... what is it that you seek?
The singer wants to know what Sade is looking for
The rightness of wrong, the virtue of vice...
Sade is searching for moral ambiguity and enjoys exploring the darker side of morality
Sade, tell me... why the Gospel of evil?
The artist wants to know why Sade is drawn to the idea of evil
What is your religion? Where are your faithful?
The singer is curious about Sade's beliefs and followers
If you are against God, you are against man...
By rejecting God, Sade is rejecting humanity
Sade, are you diabolical or divine?
The artist asks whether Sade is evil or god-like
The principals of lust are easy to understand...
Sade believes in following one's desires and needs, regardless of consequences
do what you feel, feel until the end.
One should indulge in their desires without fear of judgment
The principals of lust, are burned in your mind...
Sade is fixated on the idea of lust and its pleasure
do what you want, do it until you find love.
Sade believes that pursuing one's desires is the only way to find true love
Sade dit moi...
The singer continues to ask Sade for answers
Sade donne moi...
The singer asks Sade for something
Contributed by Christopher R. 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