Over the course of his career, e-dubble released four albums; Straight Outta St. Mary's (2006), Hip-Hop is Good (2009), Reset EP (2012) and Two Tone Rebel (2016).
[h2]Early life[/h2]
Wallace grew up outside of Philadelphia, the youngest child of a principal and a schoolteacher. In the 1990s, Wallace and his friends fell under the spell of hip-hop cast by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre; his music would later be known for its common celebrations of this love of hip-hop. He played center on the Wissahickon High basketball team, but dreamed of being a rapper. In an interview with the Baltimore magazine, Wallace cited Eminem's breakout success in the late 90's as a major inspiration to him, saying "Eminem showed that a white rapper could have a career. It was about skills, whether or not you could do it."
[h2]Background[/h2]
After graduating from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a degree in political science, e-dubble moved to Baltimore to live with his friends and collaborators. Together they formed the hip-hop band Young English, and played their first show in July 2008. The group went on to purchase a renovated warehouse, dubbed “The Hampden Mansion,” where e-dubble would later go on to write, record, and produce his debut album Hip-Hop is Good. He went on to produce his Freestyle Friday series, a weekly series of free songs.
[h2]Career[/h2]
In 2009, e-dubble released his debut album, "Hip Hop is Good". The next year, in August 2010, e-dubble created his YouTube channel. He quickly began releasing freestyles on every Friday creating the series "Freestyle Fridays", in which he sampled other songs (such as Tighten Up and MMMBop) and rapped over the instrumentals. He also occasionally collaborated with his band, Young English, to make the tracks. The series ran throughout 2010 and a final track was released in 2012. The series was noted for its effective use of samples, lyrics and e-dubble's spoken word outros, in which he communicated with fans. He followed this up in 2012 with his next album, "Reset EP". He released his final album in 2016 with "Two Tone Rebel". His most popular songs include "Be a King", "Let Me Oh" and "What it Do".
[h2]Death[/h2]
On 21 January 2017, 23 days before his death, e-dubble posted a photo on his Instagram of a swollen hand, with the caption "I don't recommend throwing up half of your body's blood. Or having your hand swell up like Martin Short in 'Pure Luck' or needing 10 blood transfusions. But I'm gonna be aight. Thanks for the love". One of his business partners, Danny, later tweeted on 27 January: "Keep our friend e-dubble in your thoughts! He is at the Hahnemann Hospital fighting a serious infection", suggesting the infection was not getting better. As e-dubble became unusually inactive on the internet, rumors began to circulate that he had died, and were eventually confirmed on Twitter by many of his close associates as well as eventually the Black Paisley Records website. E-Dubble passed away on February 13, 2017.
Conundrum
e-dubble Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chuckle until they see me spit and then they know whats up
Bum rush the city when i left the illadel
I moved to baltimore once we copped us a citadel
YE- BP my teams, I'mma spit until I can't or till I get out my dreams
I.E ma ma ma misster 52 weeks, bigger catalogue than mafuckin' ll bean
Dilla silly with the beats
Willy wonka with the treats
No frills go ill prez obama with the speech
Teleprompt the rocket launcher akmadinajhad beef
BOOM- goes the dynamite, the mafuckin' time is right
To pull out all the stops and make it pop like a hymen might
Yuck and its gonna get worse too
Think of all the things I mighta said on verse 2
But fuck a verse 2, I'mma keep it terse
WHO- ever want a go ahead and cop my first two
ALBUMS you can find em' up on i-tunes
Spicy and sweet its kinda like your eating thai food
And I choose to go and buy MY FOOD from friend kitchen
Cuz' I'm bigger than A Typhoon
And I'm sorry that's an inside joke
Lighten the tone a lil' bit for my been high folks
Filthy slap with the bracelet
Raps from the basement
Now we overground and the sound got a facelift
And we do this shit all by ourselves
Black paisley homeboy already got my help
From toothache to ben skrank
Too long been anne frank
No more hidin' I decided we riding for this thang
We got the thinktank some inglorious basterds
Even spelled it with the "e"
so tarantino would thank us
Fuck Sanka and all that decaf
I spit that epinephren put you up into rehab
And WE have ourselves quite a conundrum
And if you're not a fan yet I hope you become one
In these lyrics from e-dubble's song Conundrum, he starts by addressing his appearance as a white rapper with hair that is not like typical buzz cuts. People may underestimate him until they hear him rap. He then mentions moving to Baltimore with his team after leaving Philadelphia. e-dubble then proceeds to rap about continuing to spit rhymes until he can no longer or until he achieves everything he dreams of. He touts his extensive catalog of music, saying it's bigger than even LL Bean's line of merchandise. He also pays tribute to the late J Dilla, a famous producer who was known for his exceptional beats, and likens himself to Willy Wonka, who was famous for his sweets. He then speaks about his ability to get the audience's attention without resorting to fillers or fluff, and how he has been using his platform to accomplish things he deems important. e-dubble takes a jab at politicians like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former President of Iran, before asserting that he is ready to explode on the scene like dynamite, and while he knows he can be vulgar, he does not care; people can buy his previous albums if they want to know what he's capable of. He then talks about his preference for buying food from local vendors and promotes his albums that are available on iTunes.
Throughout the song, e-dubble addresses his career as an independent artist, boasting about the fact that he and his team do everything themselves. He mentions some of the hardships they have faced, like toothaches and other health issues, but he refuses to quit on his dreams. He references the "think tank" surrounding his team, implying that they are well-connected and that they purposely misspelled their name to maybe gain the attention of the famous director Quentin Tarantino. e-dubble makes a call back to one of the characters in the 1993 film "Cool Runnings," and then states he spits rhymes that are intense enough to make people consider going to rehab. Finally, the rapper reflects on the turning point in his career where they went from underground to mainstream, retaining their sound while updating their image. The concluding lines plea with the audience to become fans if they go in a different direction.
Line by Line Meaning
One of the only white rappers not rockin' a buzz cut
I am a white rapper who stands apart from others because I don't conform to the trend of having a buzz cut.
Chuckle until they see me spit and then they know whats up
People underestimate me until they see me perform and then they realize my talent.
Bum rush the city when i left the illadel
I left Philadelphia and moved to Baltimore with enthusiasm and eagerness.
I moved to baltimore once we copped us a citadel
I moved to Baltimore when my team obtained a citadel.
YE- BP my teams, I'mma spit until I can't or till I get out my dreams
I am dedicated to my team, YE-BP, and I will keep rapping until I fulfill my aspirations or can no longer do so.
I.E ma ma ma misster 52 weeks, bigger catalogue than mafuckin' ll bean
I have been consistently producing music for 52 weeks and have more tracks than LL Bean.
Dilla silly with the beats
I make beats that are fun and entertaining.
Willy wonka with the treats
Similar to how Willy Wonka makes imaginative and diverse candy, I make diverse and creative tracks.
No filler, go iller pull the people out they seats
I make music that doesn't rely on unoriginal or gimmicky lines, but rather, makes people want to stand up and dance.
No frills go ill prez obama with the speech
I create flow without distractions, in the same way that Barack Obama delivers speeches with clarity.
Teleprompt the rocket launcher akmadinajhad beef
I can handle and fire at people who initiate or show aggression.
BOOM- goes the dynamite, the mafuckin' time is right
I'm ready to drop music like a bomb and I'm confident that it's the right time to do so.
To pull out all the stops and make it pop like a hymen might
I'm ready to do whatever it takes to make my music a success, even if it's not explicitly conventional.
Yuck and its gonna get worse too
I acknowledge that some people might not like my music and that could continue to be the case.
Think of all the things I mighta said on verse 2
There are a lot of ideas that I could have used for the second verse of my song.
But fuck a verse 2, I'mma keep it terse
I don't want to add another verse to my song and will keep it brief.
WHO- ever want a go ahead and cop my first two
Anyone who's interested can buy and listen to my first two albums.
ALBUMS you can find em' up on i-tunes
My music is available for purchase on iTunes.
Spicy and sweet its kinda like your eating thai food
My music has both intense and mellow characteristics, reminiscent of the flavors in Thai food.
And I choose to go and buy MY FOOD from friend kitchen
I prefer to buy food from a friend who is a chef rather than from other places.
Cuz' I'm bigger than A Typhoon
I am highly favored and respected by many people, as powerful as a natural disaster.
And I'm sorry that's an inside joke
I apologize that my previous line may have been confusing or difficult to understand.
Lighten the tone a lil' bit for my been high folks
I want to change the mood and make my song more lighthearted for people who are feeling good.
Filthy slap with the bracelet
My music is bold and attention-grabbing.
Raps from the basement
I started making music in a humble location.
Now we overground and the sound got a facelift
My music is now more mainstream and has evolved into a more refined, distinctive sound.
And we do this shit all by ourselves
My team and I create music independently, without any additional help.
Black paisley homeboy already got my help
I have the support of my community and fans.
From toothache to ben skrank
My success has been a long journey, from the very painful experience of a toothache to my current status.
Too long been anne frank
I've been hiding and avoiding the limelight too long, like Anne Frank.
No more hidin' I decided we riding for this thang
I have made the choice to be visible and active in the music industry.
We got the thinktank some inglorious basterds
My team consists of creative and impactful individuals, who I compare to the characters in Inglorious Basterds.
Even spelled it with the 'e' so tarantino would thank us
We intentionally wrote 'basterds' with an 'e' in order to reference Quentin Tarantino's trademark spelling, hoping that he would appreciate it.
Fuck Sanka and all that decaf
I have no respect for insignificant and unimportant things.
I spit that epinephren put you up into rehab
My music is energetic and wild, which might shock and even rehabilitate people.
And WE have ourselves quite a conundrum
We face a complex and difficult problem or situation in the music industry.
And if you're not a fan yet I hope you become one
I hope that more people will come to appreciate and enjoy my music.
Contributed by Jeremiah N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
NoCopyrightSounds
2012 is gonna be a hectic year for you bro! <3 come to the UK soon!
Jason
@NoCopyrightSounds you need to post his songs one more time to more people listen to them
John Seedorff
How the hell they here?
carlos246
Sad
Cargo
please post his songs again. he needs the recognition
Cargo
@YoaMal honestly
W4t3r Sn3k
I hope people still come here for the man himself.
Frozen Priest
Nearly every week. It's the only music that never fails to hype me up. Even after 5 years, his energy still keeps us going.
I've lost count of how many chapters I've typed up while listening to this master work his words from beyond the veil.
Charles Packard
Week 4 of listening to every Freestyle Friday song on the ten year anniversary of it coming out. This song is pretty solid, I especially love the little bit at the beginning about the buzz cut, a lot of Evan's songs seem to have slight digs at Eminem, and I honestly wonder what Eminem thought of him. All in all a good piece of music. Peace.
TheShadowAlicorn
My friend used to love heavy metal, after watching this, rap is his new favorite.