Hemlock Ernst

Hemlock Ernst, is the rap name of Samuel T. Herring^[1] (born April 13, 1984),^[2] an American performer from Baltimore, Maryland, better known for being the frontman of synth-pop band Future Islands.^[3]

Biography

Early life

Born in the Carteret County, North Carolina, Herring grew up in Newport^[4] and Morehead City.^[3] He began rapping at age 14 at freestyle battles and cyphers.^[5]

Career

In 2003, while attending the East Carolina University, in Greenville, North Carolina, Herring and other colleagues would start the performance art band Art Lord & the Self Portraits which would last until late 2005. In early 2006, some of its former members would start Future Islands, and the band would relocate to Baltimore, MD, in 2008.^[6] Having to focus himself on Future Islands' career, it's not until 2013^[7] — when he took a break from his band’s touring — that he would have more time for his solo rap project, writing more verses and doing more shows.^[6]

Parallel to Future Islands, Herring continued rapping either solo, under the moniker Hemlock Ernst, or with his brother as Flesh Epic.^[8] Hemlock was his original writing name on an on-line music board when he was in the 9th grade, from a poem he wrote about Socrates taking the hemlock poison. Ernst comes from his character in Art Lord & The Self Portraits who was named Locke Ernst-Frost: a reference to John Locke the religious poet, Max Ernst, the artist and Robert Frost, the American poet.^[9]

Trouble Knows Me

In 2015, Hemlock Ernst teamed up with producer Madlib for a new rap project called Trouble Knows Me.^[10][11] Produced by Madlib,^[12] the self-titled EP would be released on September 1 by Madlib Invasion. It was pre-sold on July 17, during its first presentation at The Mid club in Chicago,^[13] when the identity of the project’s emcee was finally revealed.^[14]

Guest appearances

In 2010, Hemlock Ernst would make a guest appearance on the track “Gotta Go”, included on a mixtape by Baltimore hip-hop duo Rapdragons.^[15][16] But it is only in 2015 that he would appear again in other collaborative hip-hop releases. As Samuel T. Herring, he added vocals to the track “Play it Cool” (featuring rapper Earl Sweatshirt), on Gangrene’s album Welcome to Los Santos. As Hemlock Ernst, he made guest appearances on tracks by Milo^[17] and Scallops Hotel,^[18] 83cutlass,^[19] Curse ov Dialect,^[20] Busdriver,^[21] and Cavanaugh (Open Mike Eagle & Serengeti).^[22]

In 2016, he is due to appear on a track of Open Mike Eagle & Paul White’s new album “Hella Personal Film Festival”, to be released on March 25.^[23]

Discography

EPs

• Trouble Knows Me (as Trouble Knows Me and with Madlib) (September 1, 2015)^[10]

Guest appearances

• Rapdragons — “Gotta Go” from Featuring Baltimore (June 2010)^[15]
• Gangrene (The Alchemist & Oh No) — “Play it Cool” (as Samuel T. Herring) feat. Earl Sweatshirt from Welcome to Los Santos (April 2015)^[24]
• Scallops Hotel — “Lavender Chunk” from Plain Speaking (May 2015)^[25]
• 83cutlass — “Wicked Kingdom” feat. Hemlock Ernst & Josephine Olivia (July 2015)^[26]
• Curse ov Dialect — “Twisted Strangers” from Twisted Strangers (early 2016)^[27]
• Milo — “Souvenir” from So the Flies Don't Come (September 2015)^[28]
• Busdriver — “Ministry of the Torture Couch” from Thumbs (November 2015)^[29]
• Cavanaugh (Open Mike Eagle & Serengeti) — “Typecast” feat. P.O.S. & Busdriver from Time & Materials (November 2015)^[30]
• Cavanaugh — “Lemons” from Time & Materials (November 2015)^[31]
• Open Mike Eagle & Paul White — “Protectors of the Heat” from Hella Personal Film Festival (March 2016)

^[23][32]

References

External links

• Official Site