Hailing from Detroit but raised by the internet, alternative-rapper Rob Apollo is a celebrator of shenanigans. After gaining national recognition for his 2019 album, “Whore,” Apollo became known for his provocative lyrics and chaotic attitude. His music explores youthful debauchery, often through humorous and outlandish songwriting, but socially progressive undertones and themes of escapism keeps the music vulnerable and reflective of his diverse background. Influenced equally by his Detroit upbringing, art-school education, and radical politics, Apollo seamlessly bridges rap, indie, and internet culture. Apollo's main influences are other boundary-pushing, alt-rap artists such as Father, Rico Nasty, ZelooperZ, and Danny Brown. 

 

Apollo grew up in Rosedale Park, a neighborhood on Detroit’s Westside, before moving to the suburbs in late middle school. Always interested in creating, he started writing and recording songs in 9th grade. This passion led him to study art and design at Washington University in St. Louis, where he recorded and released his third album, "Whore," a bubblegum-rap project that cemented his notoriety for being erotic and outlandish. In 2020, he was nominated for 'Best New Artist' at the 2019 St. Louis Slumfest Awards. Since then, he’s released several singles, full-length projects, and music videos (that he usually directs and edits himself). Apollo's visuals help provide the context and story of himself as an artist, as they're often just as full of character and chaos as the music. He is currently working on NSFW: Redhead Jackass, an album and multi-media project that he considers the official follow-up to Whore.