Erick Arc Elliott
- The Architect
- Erick the Architect
- Skinny Light
- Skinny Ramen
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
- Rapper
- songwriter
- record producer
- Flatbush Zombies
- The Underachievers
Erick Elliott (born August 12, 1988), better known as Erick Arc Elliott or Erick the Architect, is an American rapper, singer, artist and record producer from Brooklyn, New York. A member of the hip hop trio Flatbush Zombies, Elliott has released multiple solo projects as well including "I've Never Been Here Before" in February of 2024.
Elliott plays multiple instruments including the keyboard, piano, and the guitar. He is the primary producer of Flatbush Zombies and has produced for other popular acts such as Joey Bada$$, James Blake, and more. He also scored the film "The Choice is Yours (2023)" on Paramount+ starring Black Sheep and J Dilla. He's also featured on the track "Candle Flame" by Jungle that has over 50 million streams.
Unlike his alias might suggest, Elliott did not enroll in architecture school and is not an architect by profession.
Discography
Studio albums
I've Never Been Here Before (February 23, 2024)
I’ve Never Been Here Before - Track List:
- I Am Still
- 2-3 Zone (prod. James Blake)
- Parkour (prod. James Blake)
- Breaking Point ft. Baby Rose, RÜDE CÅT & Pale Jay
- Mandevillain
- Ezekiel's Wheel ft. George Clinton
- Jammy Jam
- Ambrosia ft. Channel Tres
- Shook Up ft. Joey Bada$$ & FARR
- Beef Patty ft. Boy Boy (prod. James Blake)
- Colette
- Instincts ft. Westside Boogie
- Neue Muse
- Leukemia / AM ft. Kimbra
- Too Much Talkin (prod. James Blake)
- Liberate ft. Lalah Hathaway
Erick the Architect’s anticipated solo LP debut - I’ve Never Been Here Before - was released on February 2024. I’ve Never Been Here Before has been met with early raves and coverage from The Fader, XXL, Stereogum, Consequence, Billboard, Hypebeast, Soundcloud, Okay Player, WNYC and far beyond. An extensive interview with Rolling Stone explores the project, he was a recent guest on Track Star, and songs from the album have been played on Zane Lowe, KCRW, the BBC (where “2-3 Zone” debuted as a Hottest Record), Shade45 and Hot97. Erick, who has over 3.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, has also been featured on the cover of the influential Pollen playlist and several other top lists including New Music Friday in over 10 countries. He set out on his biggest-ever solo headlining tour, nearly 40 dates that began March 25.
The rapper/producer/founding member of Flatbush Zombies has shared the music video for “2-3 Zone,” which was produced by James Blake. “2-3 Zone” emphasizes perseverance in pursuing your dreams, and refusing to settle for mediocrity. Erick wrote the script and co-directed the video, which also features Blake.
Watch the video for “2-3 Zone” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0R39QzPeOk
“I’ve had dreams of accomplishing what I have now in my youth— and to be able to witness that kind of accomplishment in real time is truly a blessing. I wrote this song as a reminder to myself of the transformation I’ve experienced throughout my life. The song captures that transformative energy. Striving to obtain financial security, escaping frustration, and holding onto a hope that things will change for the better. Although I did much of this on my own, I cannot only give myself merit for the successes I’ve been able to enjoy; I’ve always been part of a team. Some coaches say that the 2-3 zone defense is the one that wins championships, allowing each person to cover a part of the court versus a man-to-man. I feel like that concept directly connected with what I wanted to say within this song, I can do more if I allow someone else to help me to achieve that goal.” — Erick the Architect
I’ve Never Been Here Before is an album of 16 tracks, a deeply personal and powerful work that explores themes of fearlessness, Black resilience, beauty in darkness and unity over a thrilling mix of hip-hop, soul, dub, psych and beyond. Several years in the making, Erick crafted it in his Los Angeles home studio, and it features several longtime collaborators and new friends: Joey Bada$$, Westside Boogie, George Clinton, Channel Tres, Kimbra, Lalah Hathaway, RÜDE CÅT, Boy Boy, Pale Jay and FARR. Producers include the aforementioned James Blake (who produced 4 tracks on the album), plus Linden Jay and T Minus.
The result is a statement-making collection of razor-sharp songs from an artist set free by being his authentic self, and embracing the vulnerability that comes with it.
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | US Rap | AUS | CAN | FRA | GER | NZ | SWI | UK [1] | ||||
3001: A Laced Odyssey (with Flatbush Zombies) |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | 39 | 13 | 179 | 72 | 27 | 29 | 105 | ||
Vacation in Hell (with Flatbush Zombies) |
| 11 | 9 | 8 | 59 | 13 | — | — | 33 | 44 | — | ||
I've Never Been Here Before |
| 11 | 11 | ||||||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
EPs
Title | Album details |
---|---|
Clockwork Indigo (with Flatbush Zombies and The Underachievers, as Clockwork Indigo) |
|
Now, More Than Ever (with Flatbush Zombies) |
|
Future Proof |
|
Mixtapes
Title | Album details |
---|---|
D.R.U.G.S. (with Flatbush Zombies) |
|
BetterOffDead (with Flatbush Zombies) |
|
noir. |
|
almost remembered. |
|
renvoi. |
|
ARCstrumentals: Vol. 1 |
|
ARCstrumentals, Vol. 2[2] |
|
Singles
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | US Rap | |||
"Bounce" | 2016 | — | — | — | 3001: A Laced Odyssey |
"This Is It" | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory. |
Guest appearances
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Bath Salts"[3] | 2012 | ASAP Rocky, ASAP Ant | Lords Never Worry |
"Thrilla"[4] | Bodega Bamz | Strictly 4 My P.A.P.I.Z. | |
"Just Blowin' In the Wind" | RZA | The Man with the Iron Fists | |
"Mini Van Dan (Remix)"[5] | Aston Matthews, ASAP Nast, Danny Brown | Versace Ragz | |
"Piss Test (Remix)" | A-Trak, Jim Jones, El-P, Flosstradamus | Fool's Gold Presents: Loosies | |
"36 Chamber Flow" | — | ||
"Mood Swings" | 2013 | Overdoz, Worlds Fair | — |
"No Religion"[6] | The Underachievers | — | |
"New Brooklyn" | Dyme-A-Duzin, The Underachievers | The New York Renaissance | |
"Inf Beams" | — | ||
"Tomorrow's Gone"[7] | Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, Nacho Picasso, Danny Brown | Kismet | |
"Camouflage Dons" | Statik Selektah, Smif-n-Wessun | Extended Play | |
"My Jeep" | Joey Badass, The Underachievers | Summer Knights EP | |
"TLC"[8] | 2014 | Aston Matthews, Action Bronson | Aston 3:16 |
"Believe in the Shied"[9] | Smoke DZA | Ringside 2 | |
"97.92" | Trash Talk | CONS EP VOL. 1 | |
"Modern Mayhem" | CONS EP VOL. 2 | ||
"Bring Em Out" | 2015 | Bodega Bamz | Sidewalk Exec |
"Good Knight" | Kirk Knight, Joey Badass, Dizzy Wright | Late Knight Special |
Erick Arc Elliott's Artwork and Books
Coinciding with his name, the Erick the Architect is a prolific artist on a number of levels. Most recently, Elliott has demonstrated that he is indeed a serious conventional artist and has created numerous paintings and other artistic designs that the fans are quickly taking note of. On the surface, it appears that Elliott ties his artwork into his music in some fashion that allows both skills to coexist fluidly and favorably in a way that very few artists have been able to do successfully.
Much of Elliott's art is created and is directly affiliated and attached to 502 North Pole (www.502northpole.com).
Book Titles by Erick Elliott:
Spring Forward: Aspire to Inspire (2016)
References
- ^ "CHART: CLUK Update 19 March 2016 (wk11)". UK Singles Chart. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
- ^ Architect, Erick The (January 31, 2018). "ARCSTRUMENTALS 2: 02.16.18pic.twitter.com/kvRkwjSFzv". @erickarcelliott. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (August 28, 2012). "Download A$AP Mob Lord$ Never Worry Mixtape". Stereogum. Spin Media. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
- ^ "Bodega Bamz: Strictly 4 My P.A.P.I.Z. Mixtape (Noisey Exclusive)". Noisey.vice.com. October 17, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^ Legend (November 6, 2012). "A$ton Matthews – Min Van Dan (Remix) (feat. Danny Brown, A$AP Nast & Flatbush ZOMBiES) | OnSMASH". Freeonsmash.com. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
- ^ "Flatbush Zombies / The Underachievers "No Religion"". Pitchfork. March 13, 2013. Archived from the original on March 15, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^ "Download Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire's Kismet Mixtape | News". Pitchfork. June 4, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
- ^ Hardy, Jasmine (March 17, 2014). "Aston Matthews "Aston 3:16" Release Date, Cover Art, Tracklist, Download & Mixtape Stream". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
- ^ Nicolas James (April 7, 2014). "Smoke DZA – Believe In The Shield Feat. Flatbush Zombies – Download & Listen [New Song]". HotNewHipHop.