e-dubble

These days, success is measured in hits, tweets, and likes. So if we’re talking about a Baltimore musician with 23 million YouTube views, 9 million streams on sites like Spotify, and 91,000 fans on Facebook, you might expect to have heard the buzz. In the case of Evan Wallace, aka e-dubble, chances are you haven’t. It’s an ironic wrinkle in this virtual-marketing era that a rising rap star like e-dubble—a short form of Wallace’s initials—can reach millions of fans around the world yet remain largely unknown at home. Physically, the 31-year-old Wallace is hard to miss. Nearly 7 feet tall, he is a mountain of a man with dark green eyes radiating intensity. In a brown zippered cardigan, 501 jeans, and a Polo beanie pulled over his brush cut, he looks more like an art student or a lumberjack than a typical hip-hop artist.

His music is atypical, too. Wallace eschews the genre’s classic themes—street life, mayhem, various ways of spending lots of money—to write about the trials of a regular guy. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure it was a story worth telling,” Wallace says, sitting on the couch in the South Federal Hill apartment he shares with his manager, Justin Barker.

“He’s just a normal person with normal problems, and a lot of listeners can relate to that,” adds Barker, unpacking Starbucks breakfast sandwiches in the kitchen. Barker, like Wallace, doesn’t fit the hip-hop mold. With his pale blue eyes and blond curls, he could be straight outta Minnesota.

“I don’t know if I’d say normal,” Wallace replies. The reticent giant and his buttoned-up best friend bicker and correct each other constantly. (“They never stop, they’re like an old married couple,” notes Brandon Lackey, who records Wallace’s tracks in his Parkville studio.)

Their high-ceilinged, modern apartment has a minimalist feel, mostly because Wallace hasn’t found time to unpack since they moved in six months ago. Only two things have made it onto the walls so far: a large whiteboard covered with tour dates and a small painting of a young Wallace holding a toy gun that was commissioned for an e-dubble album cover.

There are exactly four books on the shelves: Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Joy of Sex (a gift from a college girlfriend, Wallace mumbles), Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, and a musician’s guide to PR and marketing.

While Barker’s room is neat as a pin, Wallace’s is a morass of clothing and size 15 sneakers interrupted only by home-studio equipment (computer, microphone, MIDI keyboard, and pre-amp) for recording demos and rough mixes.

The apartment includes one other inhabitant, Wallace’s beloved dog, Lewis, a golden retriever/mutt he rescued. “I think she knows I saved her,” he says, as she gazes at him devotedly.

It’s taken Wallace and Barker years of work to get to this point: the impressive Internet presence, steady concert bookings, and a revenue stream that supports both of them and pays the rent. The next step is a big one, though—the one where e-dubble steps into the spotlight.

And there have been unexpected stumbling blocks in the past.

Wallace grew up outside of Philadelphia, the youngest child of a principal and a schoolteacher. Like a lot of boys in the early 1990s, he and his friends fell under the spell of hip-hop cast by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. He played center—of course—on the Wissahickon High basketball team and dreamed of being a rapper. As a white guy, he didn’t have many role models for being a solo MC. In fact, the only one he knew about was the much-maligned Vanilla Ice.

Then, Eminem hit it big with the Slim Shady LP in 1999. “I remember how hyped we were,” recalls Wallace. “Eminem showed that a white rapper could have a career. It was about skills, whether or not you could do it.”

By then, Wallace had begun making his own beats using a drum machine and sampler from RadioShack. But writing rhymes to go with them didn’t come as easily.

“There’s a kind of outgoing, boisterous MC personality that wasn’t me at all,” he explains. “I was never the guy who was gonna take over a room.”

He kept thinking he’d meet a rapper to work with, but by the time he’d graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a degree in political science, no one had materialized. Finally, he started writing himself. And if his story—sensitive white boy from the suburbs drinks beer, likes girls, is alienated—wasn’t as dramatic and violent as those of the rappers he admired, maybe those differences gave it legitimacy.

Wallace’s first album, 2009’s Hip-Hop Is Good, was virtually a one-man effort, written, recorded, and produced while living in a Hampden warehouse with college friends. One of them helped with the cover art. Barker took on marketing and business duties.

To get attention, he and Wallace developed an ambitious strategy that involved releasing a new e-dubble track every Friday for an entire year, starting in January 2011. They bombarded key rap bloggers with the weekly releases, hoping to get exposure via social media.

It started slowly, one Myspace post and Facebook comment at a time, as listeners noticed that Wallace’s version of hip-hop was a little different from anything they’d heard. He sampled Guns N’ Roses, The Black Keys, and Tom Petty; recorded long, idiosyncratic outros in which he mentioned NCAA scores, current events, or football news; and, where other rappers peppered their songs with shout-outs to Biggie and Tupac, Wallace rapped about Diane Rehm and name-checked John Cusack, Carrot Top, and Tracy Chapman.

“Honestly, I didn’t like him at first,” says Jacob Moore, founder of the influential Pigeons and Planes blog. “I thought he was kind of corny.”

But, by the 37th installment of Freestyle Fridays, Moore had changed his mind. “The sample translates perfectly into a contagious I’m-gonna-hum-you-all-day beat,” Moore wrote about that track (simply titled “Get On Board”). “E-dub’s message and delivery is as clear and sharp as a shard of glass.”

Once converted, Moore became a key ally, posting praise and featuring Wallace at a showcase in New York. By the time Wallace and Barker released a mix-tape of the Freestyle Friday songs, titled Written Thursday, on their Black Paisley Records label, their plan was working. The compilation was downloaded 10,000 times the first month it was posted, T-shirts were printed, and shows were booked at The 8x10 Club and out of town. Wallace quit his day job at a Fells Point bar.

But just when Wallace’s career was gathering speed, it took a sudden U-turn. The intense schedule of Freestyle Fridays had gotten Wallace into a “routine I can’t recommend to anyone,” he says, noting that he was working furiously for half the week and celebrating the other half. “And by celebration, I mean vodka,” he adds.

Soon he was running on empty, depressed, and questioning his choice of careers. “I was in euphoria for so long I didn’t realize there was a ceiling—until I hit it,” he says.

He went to a therapist, who put him on a cocktail of anti-depressants and other drugs. They seriously backfired. The manic episodes that ensued included wild drives on the Beltway, a crazy night spent painting all the mirrors in the house blue, and another night punching holes in the walls.

Barker watched the meltdown with extreme concern, before finally breaking down and calling Wallace’s father for help. After a week in a psych ward, Wallace spent nine months living in Philly with his parents and his dog. “Lewis had been with me for every single Freestyle Friday I recorded,” he says, “and she was my muse and my sounding board as I started working again in my parents’ basement.”

Writing was the best therapy of all, Wallace found. “Not only was it cathartic to put the feelings into words, but it rebuilt my self-esteem and confidence,” he says.
By the time he and Lewis returned to Baltimore, Wallace had finished Reset, an album telling the story of his breakdown and tracking his recovery.

With its video-game metaphor for getting a second chance—Hit a little button, everything will be all right—the title song is a generational anthem with an infectious melody and a name-check of Han Solo.

Released in November 2012, Reset was welcomed by the growing army of e-dubble fans. It debuted at No. 8 on the iTunes hip-hop chart and was pegged as a “Heatseeker” in Billboard.

Since then, Wallace and Barker have been working to expand their reach. “There’s only so much you can do with two guys and a computer, working your ass off with three hours of sleep for years on end,” says Barker. “At a certain point, you need a live show, videos, and a touring setup, and that takes money, relationships, and credibility.”

Those things have begun to come together. Wallace has been gigging with a backing band just like fellow Philly natives The Roots. (Full disclosure: my son, Vince, is his bassist.) He’s been touring mostly up and down the East Coast and into the South, and, in March, he’ll play South By Southwest, the music industry’s biggest showcase event, in Austin, TX.

At this point, Jacob Moore suggests that Wallace’s reserved personality is the last serious stumbling block he has to surmount. “For the first year or so of being familiar with e-dubble,” he says, “I didn’t know what he looked like, who he was, what he was all about. He refused to sell himself. He didn’t even have real press pics. For a while, I remember he was using one where his face was blurry and a dog, [Lewis], was sitting on his lap. One picture of him, well-styled and looking 7-feet tall, and he could have gotten a lot of attention. Instead, he’s sending out iPhone pics of the dog.”

Wallace admits it’s true. He hates self-promotion, and has always wanted to believe the music would speak for itself. But he has come to understand that image is essential. “For the music to be heard, I need to be seen,” he says.

As he talks about upping his profile, Barker pulls out his phone and pulls up an e-mail that floated a possible Puma endorsement Wallace’s way. Coming via The Fader magazine, it mentioned providing Wallace “cool kicks and gear” for his South By Southwest show.

Though the Puma connection could reap some reward, Wallace doubts the company will have anything in his size. “It would have to be double-X,” he says.
“Double?” repeats Barker dubiously. “You mean triple.”

“I wear double-X sometimes,” Wallace counters.

In any case, it’s gonna have to be big. It’s all gonna have to be big. E-dubble is going big, and it’s not just his sneakers and gear. - Baltimore Magazine

Over robust throwback drums and a classical piano-loop, the two-tone rebel attacks our Friday with a brand new energizing track “Big Ships”. Just when you think e-dubble has hung up the mic, he comes back at us with a new track that makes you wonder what the hell the guy has been up to. We assume he’s been paying his bills, working and tweeting obscurity but as we find here, he’s still got it. Download this one for free on Soundcloud. - Hillydilly.com

I’m not really trying to hear people’s talking heads anymore than at all throughout the day, and so I tend to sway from hissing vocals on just about everything I listen to. That said, there’s an occasional wordsmith like E-dubble that neatly embroiders lyricism into a beat like an instrument, and that sounds right. - Fresh New Tracks

Out of the dozens of e-dubble songs we’ve heard over the years, we can count the times he’s collaborated with other artists on one hand. That’s a rare thing to say about a rapper/producer in 2012, but e-dubble is not your typical producer, and he’s certainly not your typical rapper. He’s white, close to 7 feet tall, and while mainstream hip-hop seems to be splitting off in a few different popular directions, e-dubble remains on the path he’s been on from the beginning, more defiant with each release. It’s starting to pay off.

e-dub’s newest release, the Reset EP, is his most popular yet, climbing the iTunes charts, racking up YouTube views, and continuing the snowball effect that drives growth in his fan base. Here’s what e-dubble said about being embraced despite being atypical in so many ways:

“For the brash and braggadocious popularity contest that can be the music industry, I think the hip-hop community is actually pretty accepting of the creative oddball. I think I’d put myself in that category and I’m cool with that. My thought and hope is that I’m pretty well rounded and that my music is relatable because it reflects that. It’s a nice place to be because there are no limits to your creativity when your fans value emotion & honesty.”

Get the Reset EP on iTunes. - Pigeons and Planes

In 2011 e-dubble ran his well known ‘Freestyle Fridays’ 54 weeks straight and subsequently took over the blog world for a year. From that massive hustle the guy has amassed himself a very solid following and up until now, e-dub has not had an official release. Well that has all changed now because with Reset, e-dubble is ready to take that next step in his career with a body work that will be his career defining moment. There is a different kind of pressure felt when you know that a release is ‘official’ and is not being given away for free. So when I say it’s his career defining moment it’s because if the EP flopped, the interest would definitely slip, but with Reset e-dubble brilliantly impresses. E-dubble is not only a rapper but on Reset he showcases his songwriting abilities that come complete with well thought out hooks, intricate verses and songs that ultimately end up being very catchy. E-dubble is for real and the Reset EP is the proof. Grab it on itunes Nov 6th, you won’t be disappointed. Check some of the highlights below. - Hilldilly

Although e-dubble‘s newest single is all about living life on the edge, don’t mistake it for your average party track. The song keeps an uptempo vibe throughout, but once you dig deeper into the lyrics, you’ll realize there’s much more beneath the surface. While on one hand e-dubble relishes his current success as a rapper, he knows that he needs to keep his eyes glued to the future and the road ahead. This leads to such diverse topics as debauchery in Ibiza to the upcoming presidential election, which makes for an interesting concoction overall. If you’re feeling this one, don’t forget to head over to iTunes to show your support. Also make sure to pre-order e-dubble’s upcoming Reset EP, coming soon. - The Music Ninja

Fresh off dropping Two Steps From Disaster, e-dub drops off the first video from his upcoming Reset EP, dropping November 6th.

"The human race is over exposed to images of violence, sex, and materialism more than ever before; a saying that has never found its way to cliché. It’s a vivid illustration of the human mind, intelligent, yet ignorant. An inherent contradiction at the root of whom we all are, stemming from pains of growing up and facing our fears or possibly much deeper. The black void each of us trying to evade, and there doesn’t seem to be any clear escape, just a lot of ways to numb the pain. Essentially everyone has one; it’s the part of us we often try to hide. We’ve all faced a time where we are attracted to the thing that could destroy us. We’re only human and everyone makes mistakes. In the end, if we are willing, the only thing standing in the way of reaching our dreams is thin air." - 2DopeBoyz

Philly-born, Baltimore-based rapper and producer e-dubble presents the Reset EP, a seven-track collection of original material. Written and produced entirely by the artist himself, the project represents a clean break with the past, and new beginning. E-dubble explains, "At some point, everyone wishes for a clean slate. A chance to start over, to be absolved of regret, to put hindsight and wisdom to good use. Things aren’t in black and white, there are many shades of grey. Things are not absolute. For every right and wrong there exists an extenuating circumstance to shift your judgment. Ultimately to open up our minds to new possibilities, we have to ‘Reset’."

Heralded by singles "Down" and "Cycle of Nightmares (Let It Go)" and packing a sole guest appearance by Jhameel, the EP is now available for full stream and purchase. - DJ Booth

I will stand my ground each week and tell you guys to wake up, we’ve got raw talent standing right in front of us. As a music blogger, I consider it my job to pick out raw talent. Sometimes it’s hard; the shelves seem empty. This is easy. It’s as if I’ve walked into a huge museum of white people trying to be rap artists all of the sudden, and where so many of the pieces seem dull and blend in with the rest, one stands out. - Sunset in the Rearview

Here’s the latest from one of the hardest working rapper/producers storming the internet right now, e-dubble. It’s called “Standing Tall” and features a Smith Westerns’ sample. Lydia posed the question: “Can we talk about [e-dubs' sample choice] for a second?” Yes, we can. E-dubble’s knack for sample choice and production is unmatched. A Smith Westerns’ sample sounding like some upbeat “Dead Wrong” shit? Eghck. So good, right? Right. I’m rooting for e-dubble, and I’m looking forward to his mixtape, which you will definitely find at P&P. - Pigeons and Planes

With lots of up-and-coming rappers sampling indie tunes to establish a presence in the overflowing stock of internet music, it’s harder to find the good artists. They stand out but shifting through lots of not so good music takes time to uncover the gems. Fortunately, it’s all worth it when you get someone like one of Charm City’s finest, e-dubble. - 1146 Miles

With lots of up-and-coming rappers sampling indie tunes to establish a presence in the overflowing stock of internet music, it’s harder to find the good artists. They stand out but shifting through lots of not so good music takes time to uncover the gems. Fortunately, it’s all worth it when you get someone like one of Charm City’s finest, e-dubble. - 1146 Miles

Well: A few months later, somewhere around four albums worth of material, a hot second on the Popular page @Hype Machine (for “Palm Trees”), and a permanent resting spot within Hype Machine for his daily blog love - I felt affirmed. E-dubble is making some incredible music, and best of all - this guy knows what he’s doing. E-dubble has managed to navigate his way through the vastness of artist and fan centric social media - living in Grooveshark, Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, Soundcloud, Reverb Nation - straight into the hearts of bloggers and fans alike. - Grooveshark

Promising Philadelphia MC e-dubble (all lowercase) raps over DJ Premiere’s classic “Just To Get A Rep” with adroit ease and charisma. Re-dubbed “New Trouble” for edub’s fourty third installment of his Freestyle Friday series, in which the rapper has committed to write, produce and record one new freestyle every Friday for 52 weeks. It goes without saying that if you dig “New Trouble,” he have a few hours of e-dubble freestyles to look into. - Pretty Much Amazing

This is by far my favorite e-dubble track I’ve ever heard – the sample translates perfectly into a contagious I’m-gonna-hum-you-all-day beat, e-dubs’ message and delivery is as clear and sharp as a shard of glass, and even the chopped up chorus ties things together perfectly without dominating the song like some (most) choruses do. - Pigeons and Planes