E the profit—a Different Kind of Bluegrass

Those of you who associate bluegrass with fiddles and banjos step aside. E the profit’s latest single “Bluegrass” is one of the most promising new rap tracks. The artist is part of an onset of rappers creating their own scene in Kentucky. The song pays homage to the artist’s home state in the most fun and exciting way. I got the chance to ask E the profit a few questions about his recent release. Read our interview below. 

“Bluegrass” IS OUT! HOW ARE YOU FEELING? ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE?

I’m feeling really good, actually. I knew it was one of my favorite songs when I made it, but seeing the engagement and the love it’s getting is really cool. I try not to celebrate much after a release. I focus on enjoying the moment and then start planning for my next move. 

YOU MENTION KENTUCKY IN THE SONG. DID YOU GROW UP THERE?

I’ve been in Kentucky my whole life. I’m from northern Kentucky—only ten minutes away from Cincinnati. With the video, I tried to demonstrate the Kentucky that I know, because I know that a lot of people don’t know much about it. It’s a weird place. There are a lot of different people here for sure. 

HOW HAS YOUR HOMETOWN INFLUENCED YOUR MUSIC?

Without my hometown, I wouldn’t have the drive that I have now. I treat music like a competition, but that’s just me. With every drop I’m trying to get better. I live in a place where I’ve seen a lot of people with a lot of potential end up nowhere and I refuse to be one of those people. 

WHAT PUSHED YOU TO START RELEASING MUSIC?

I started rapping two or three years ago. One of my friends who also raps, he goes by JDINGERS, told me to get in the studio with him. I think I paid $45 for my first session and I’ve been addicted ever since. Without my friends' motivation and them telling me I have potential and have to pursue this, I don’t know where I’d be or if I’d even be doing music right now. 

YOU’RE FIRST SPOTIFY TRACK CAME OUT IN 2020. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO START YOUR MUSIC CAREER DURING COVID?

I had a lot of extra time and I think I really took advantage in the best way that I could. I had a lot of music sitting in the vault. It gave me the opportunity to focus on myself, my growth, my skills, and who I want to be as an artist. I kind of just took it as a reset and way to rebrand myself.

WHO DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO SEE YOU AS? 

I have a lot of different things that make me the artist that I am. I don’t want to force myself into a subgroup of rap or hip hop or anything like that. I think once you categorize yourself it gets really easy for people to lump you into that category, so they’re really shocked and confused when you drop something new. 

HOW DO YOU SEE THAT WITH BLUEGRASS? HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WAS SPECIAL? 

I can always tell when a song is going to be good just based on the effort that it takes to make it. For “Bluegrass,” I was actually in quarantine. I couldn’t do anything except drive around and listen to beats that people were sending me. I heard the beat and thought it was crazy. I decided to drive to Cincinnati and back, which takes like fifteen minutes each way, and I wrote the entire song in that car ride. It’s kind of a dangerous way to write music but it definitely worked out. 

IS THAT TYPICALLY YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS? 

I typically listen to the beat and hear what the producer leaves me room for and do my best to make something with it. 

WHEN DID YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANTED THE SONG TO BE ABOUT?

When I was writing the song, I knew I had something when I got the line “Yes, I’m from Kentucky. I got Bluegrass in my blunt.” It’s catchy and it makes sense and it’s also a play on words that I hadn’t heard before. 

ARE YOU INFLUENCED AT ALL BY BLUEGRASS MUSIC? 

Being in Kentucky, there’s not a crazy big hip hop scene. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t influenced by all kinds of music, but as far as country goes and bluegrass, it’s not really my thing. 

WHAT WAS THE PROCESS OF MAKING THE MUSIC VIDEO LIKE?

I got my friends to film the video with me. The goal was to show people Kentucky. We drove around my hometown for a bit, then we drove to Lexington, and then from there we went to Louisville. It kind of just felt like a trip that we also happened to get some really good shots on. My favorite part of the video is the scene with the horses in the back. I think it’s super cinematic and has the idea of what a lot of people perceive Kentucky to be. 

DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO LOOK AT KENTUCKY IN A DIFFERENT WAY AFTER LISTENING TO THE SONG AND WATCHING THE VIDEO?

Hopefully. With people like Jack Harlow and EST Gee blowing up, I expect people to get hip to Kentucky soon. But it’s definitely important, when you’re coming from a place like Kentucky, that you try to demonstrate your slice of life so people know where you’re coming from. 

IF SOMEONE WERE TO VISIT KENTUCKY WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THEY DO?

There are so many different things here. There’s a spot called the Red River Gorge and the views are nuts from the top of the hike. I think when you hike and you get to see things from a different perspective it’s pretty eye opening, so I think that would be pretty cool for people to do.

IS THERE A PART OF THE SONG THAT YOU’RE THE MOST PROUD OF?

I think the most important part of the song is the beat drop, where I say “What.” That bar actually came into my head naturally after I had already written down what I was going to say. It worked out perfectly. We went into the studio to record it and the engineer went into the track and dropped the beat and it literally changed the emphasis of the entire song. That was the moment where everything came together for me for sure. 

HOW DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE REACT TO THE SONG?

There’s a big difference between hearing a song and actually listening to it. I hope people listen to the song and realize that Kentucky is more than just country and horses. I hope people realize that this is a serious area as far as creatives go. There are so many insane videographers, photographers, and producers and it’s just a really exciting time for the state as a whole. It’s cool to see it growing in the span of the past couple years. 

YOU CAN LISTEN TO “Bluegrass” BY E the profit ON STREAMING SERVICES LIKE SPOTIFY AND APPLE MUSIC. STREAM THE SONG AND MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW @twentyminuteslater TO STAY UPDATED ON FUTURE POSTS.