The Round Table is a Hip Hop collective of creative talents that came together at Georgia Institute of Technology several years ago. Self-taught and self-motivated, this dedicated group started out in the dorms mixing on guitar amps and have since moved onto a plane of greater knowledge, better equipment, and more focus than ever before.
Below, Apollo and DJ Ghost, who make up the duo superHero, talk about the history and the present of the group as well as their new release. Be sure to follow the links to show your support.
Who / what is The Round Table? How long have you been creating together?
Apollo: The Round Table is a collective. More specifically, it is a hip-hop collective composed of me (Zaccheus), Kevin (dJ Ghost), Kwaku (Sakima), Aaron (AJ Bank$y) and Xavier. We all met our freshmen year at Georgia Tech and at the time we were the only ones rapping and making music, so we kind of just stayed together.
dJ Ghost: We’ve been making music together for 3 years now.
How did this collective come about? Was it a natural evolution or did you plan this?
dJ Ghost: It originally started with Kwaku, when he asked Zac to mix his first mixtape Summer 2012. Zach mixed the mixtape on his guitar amp in his dorm. This is way before we could afford studio monitors. So, after the mixtape dropped, Zac introduced me to Kwaku and Kwaku pitched me his idea for The Round Table (at the time Zac was the only one that knew I produced beats). And the rest is history.
Apollo: It was definitely a natural evolution. It was a freak occurrence, like it wasn’t suppose to happen but it did. Like Kevin said, I first starting mixing on my guitar amps and Kevin didn’t know how to mix at all. But we taught ourselves how-to mix and with time and experience (and better equipment) we have been able to produce near-professional CD quality audio. And as we were getting better at audio engineering, the rest of the group continued to improve as rappers and as artists. So yeah, it definitely has been a natural progression.
Who or what inspires your music? What pushes you to keep making it?
dJ Ghost: As far as superHero is concerned, the inspiration behind the music and concept can be traced back to three artists: Madvillain, J Dilla, and Kanye West. Honestly, just becoming better as an artist and inspiring people with my music is what pushes me to keep making it.
Apollo: Everything inspires me, just the world and all of the people in it because at the end of the day, that’s who we make music for. There’s a kid out in the world afraid to do something or think a certain way and if I can make a track to tell that kid that he’s not alone, even if it’s just one person, then it was worth it.
[Tweet “Zach mixed the first album on his guitar amp in his dorm…”]
What was the last song you listened to?
Apollo: The last two songs I listened to were “Bag Lady” by Erykah Badu and “Mothership Connection” by Parliament-Funkadelic.
dJ Ghost: The last two songs I listened to were “Rebound” by Asha and “Potholderz” by MF Doom and Count Bas D.
What should listeners expect when they click play on the new single “Lifted”?
dJ Ghost: Listeners should expect a soulful sound to vibe to.
Apollo: Expect to hear something that you’ve never heard before, but something that you immediately connect with. And don’t take it at face value, it’s not a regular song.
Do you perform live or tour? Where can people catch you in the physical?
Apollo: We just performed at our 3rd Annual Georgia Tech Concert on April 17th. We also opened for Hoodie Allen at Georgia Tech’s Homecoming Concert last October.
dJ Ghost: Right now, we’re just working on expanding our fan base, but a tour is in the works. Otherwise, the only place to catch us in the physical is on campus.
Where can we connect with you online? Check out the music?
Apollo: You can follow me on Twitter @Protege_AoS and on Soundcloud at @protegeapollo.
dJ Ghost: You can follow me on Twitter @blckkevin and on Soundcloud @djghost63. But more importantly go follow The Round Table on Soundcloud!!! (And like us on Facebook)
Any last thoughts? Words of wisdom? Shout outs?
dJ Ghost: Shout-out to Burblife Crew, Rica G., Kamryn, Kyle and all of our fans that support us! We love you guys!
Apollo: We’re always working. Always expect new music. I’m currently working on my solo album, so you’ll be hearing that soon. I don’t believe in complacency. Don’t wait, go make the future. And thank you Middle Tennessee Music for the opportunity.
