About

Meet Erinem:

Who is Erinem?

Erinem is a rapper, producer, and avid lyricist with a indefatigable enthusiasm for the craft of rhyme, and the art of flow and cadence. An interesting fact that few people know is that Erinem is a member of Mensa. She also has a Master's degree and attended an ivy league graduate school on full Merit Scholarship. But academics is not the world she feels any ties to. Erinem's life is all hip hop, all the time. And literally nothing else. Erinem is often accused of being a perfectionist (almost to a fault) but her unbridled passion and exuberance for her work is part of what makes her music stand out in the wash of so many mediocre, mainstream songs. Erinem is a female rapper, and though that is becoming more and more a common place thing in the hiphop world, she is uniquely uninterested in playing into her gender. Erinem strives to come off in such a way that it is almost forgettable that she is a girl. She doesn’t want to be a “great female rapper” but rather, simply, a great rapper. Downplaying her gender was strategic, but also something she naturally does anyway. Erinem does not want to be known for her appearance, gender, age, race, or any other superficial identifier. She wants to be recognized for her work, her lyricism, her attention to detail and her well honed skill and craft. She wants more than anything to work with her peers, and to participate in the hip hop culture in a way that is humble and contributive.



Where is Erinem?

Erinem currently lives in Tyler, Texas. Tyler is about an hour and half south east of Dallas. Erinem was born in this small town, and moved back to the house she was born in after living elsewhere her entire adult life. Born Erin Emily Wheeler, Erinem’s parents moved away from Tyler when she was just a few years old. They had bought a small duplex in a poor part of town as their starter home, and rented it out to tenants when they moved after finding work closer to Dallas. Erinem grew up in the outskirts of Dallas. She was kicked out of kindergarten for various social issues, and then after a troubling time in grade school, she was once again expelled from middle school in the 8th grade. Her 9th grade year, she was expelled from every school in the district — incredibly, seven different schools in one semester — until finally there was no school that would take her. Erinem emancipated herself from her parents, legally. She then went on to take her GED and started college classes at the age of 16. Finally hitting her academic stride with the freedom of college, she began to do a little better within the confines of formal education. Eventually, after facing much opposition with her professors in college, Erinem finally graduated. Her grades were good enough that she was able to get into an Ivy League school, on a merit scholarship. Erinem moved to New York City to attend graduate school there, and lived happily in East Harlem for the better part of 5 years. Although she was hardly having an easy time in school. This much had not changed. After grad school, she moved back to Tyler, the town of her birth, which had not changed at all since she was an infant. She moved into her parents old duplex, where she would fulfill the role of slum lord in exchange for living rent free in one side of the house. Erinem moved back to this sleepy, conservative town, with its worn down buildings and one lane roads, because there was simply no other way she could make music full time. How would she be able to, if she had to get a full time job? It was this conundrum that forced her to leave New York and return back to the home of her birth. She still lives there, where she has built a home studio and continues to make music. She doesn’t know a single other person in town. Which is exactly how she likes it.



On a Deeper Level:

Priorities

Erinem is a rapper, producer, and avid lyricist with a indefatigable enthusiasm for the craft of rhyme, and the art of flow and cadence. She is often accused of being a perfectionist (almost to a fault) but her unbridled passion and exuberance for her work is part of what makes her music stand out in the wash of so many mediocre, mainstream songs. But, even as she stands out, it is difficult for any independent artist to be heard over the wash of so many other come-ups, pushing and promoting themselves at the top of their lungs until almost no one is seen or heard over the noise. Erinem lives far away from any hip hop community, and as isolated as she is in general, it is the isolation from her peer group that she struggles with most. She lives in the dirty outskirts of a small East Texas town, in the tiny rundown house she was born in. A town where she never intended to stay, but which she cannot afford to leave. Erinem has never had much money, but claims she’s never really needed more than she has. But that doesn’t mean she does not want more. She wants to reach the top more than anything. It just isn’t a pursuit of fortune or fame that drives her to work so hard, and keep trying when even hard work has yet to pay off. No matter how many times she struggled to pay for groceries, she could not be convinced to quit music and get a real job (which is something that her advanced college degrees certainly afford her the opportunity for). Regardless of how much easier it might be in some ways to get a regular job, start a family, buy a house and start the slow decent towards old age, something about all that just never really appealed to her. She never had any interest in pursuing wealth or chasing the stability one enjoys when they have a full time employment. She isn’t tempted by the normal things life has to offer, or the extraordinary fame and fortune that stardom promises. She is uninterested in both of these prospects. Erinem has no Plan B, and refuses to consider quitting if she never gets any traction in the music industry.Erinem adamantly claims hard work, a little time, and infinite persistence... is all it really takes. And if her journey so far tells us anything, it’s that she won’t stop until she gets to her peers. And she will likely achieve this improbable goal (if not impossible) feat. Mostly because, it is very hard to dismiss someone who just won’t quit. No matter what. But, the development of Erinem’s career is yet to be seen. This is Erinem, and she is honored to be a part of this culture... and humbled to be welcomed into a world she finally feels like she belongs to.



Peers

Erinem is often compared to Eminem, because their lyricism is so similar, as well as other stylistic choices they both have in common. While this is a welcomed comparison, Erinem has always written lyrics this way. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she discovered Eminem, first by reading his lyrics and realizing she’d finally found a peer in this industry. Erinem only wants one thing, really: To do her work, and to work with her peers. But finding her work — and even more so, finding her peers — proved to be a life-long quest for Erinem. Only when she found hip hop did she find her work, and only once she found the artists who are in some deeply intrinsic way, like she is, did she realize that she knew who her peers were. Once Erinem had identified where in the industry her peers were - primarily under Interscope in general, and Aftermath/Shady Records specifically, she had complete and utter tunnel vision, a deadlock focus on getting to that corner of the industry as soon as possible. Offered the opportunity to entertain deals with other labels in the past, she had no problem refusing to even consider it. It was always only one goal for her: Find her peers. Once she found them, the goal was even more simple: Get to them. No matter what. Erinem is humbly looking for a way in, and wants desperately to be a part of this world where she has finally found those who are like her — who love what she loves, work as she works, and writes as she writes. She is often heard saying, longingly, “I just want to work with my peers.”



On a Deeper Level:

Priorities

Erinem is a rapper, producer, and avid lyricist with a indefatigable enthusiasm for the craft of rhyme, and the art of flow and cadence. She is often accused of being a perfectionist (almost to a fault) but her unbridled passion and exuberance for her work is part of what makes her music stand out in the wash of so many mediocre, mainstream songs. But, even as she stands out, it is difficult for any independent artist to be heard over the wash of so many other come-ups, pushing and promoting themselves at the top of their lungs until almost no one is seen or heard over the noise. Erinem lives far away from any hip hop community, and as isolated as she is in general, it is the isolation from her peer group that she struggles with most. She lives in the dirty outskirts of a small East Texas town, in the tiny rundown house she was born in. A town where she never intended to stay, but which she cannot afford to leave. Erinem has never had much money, but claims she’s never really needed more than she has. But that doesn’t mean she does not want more. She wants to reach the top more than anything. It just isn’t a pursuit of fortune or fame that drives her to work so hard, and keep trying when even hard work has yet to pay off. No matter how many times she struggled to pay for groceries, she could not be convinced to quit music and get a real job (which is something that her advanced college degrees certainly afford her the opportunity for). Regardless of how much easier it might be in some ways to get a regular job, start a family, buy a house and start the slow decent towards old age, something about all that just never really appealed to her. She never had any interest in pursuing wealth or chasing the stability one enjoys when they have a full time employment. She isn’t tempted by the normal things life has to offer, or the extraordinary fame and fortune that stardom promises. She is uninterested in both of these prospects. Erinem has no Plan B, and refuses to consider quitting if she never gets any traction in the music industry.Erinem adamantly claims hard work, a little time, and infinite persistence... is all it really takes. And if her journey so far tells us anything, it’s that she won’t stop until she gets to her peers. And she will likely achieve this improbable goal (if not impossible) feat. Mostly because, it is very hard to dismiss someone who just won’t quit. No matter what. But, the development of Erinem’s career is yet to be seen. This is Erinem, and she is honored to be a part of this culture... and humbled to be welcomed into a world she finally feels like she belongs to.



Peers

Erinem is often compared to Eminem, because their lyricism is so similar, as well as other stylistic choices they both have in common. While this is a welcomed comparison, Erinem has always written lyrics this way. It wasn’t until she was an adult that she discovered Eminem, first by reading his lyrics and realizing she’d finally found a peer in this industry. Erinem only wants one thing, really: To do her work, and to work with her peers. But finding her work — and even more so, finding her peers — proved to be a life-long quest for Erinem. Only when she found hip hop did she find her work, and only once she found the artists who are in some deeply intrinsic way, like she is, did she realize that she knew who her peers were. Once Erinem had identified where in the industry her peers were - primarily under Interscope in general, and Aftermath/Shady Records specifically, she had complete and utter tunnel vision, a deadlock focus on getting to that corner of the industry as soon as possible. Offered the opportunity to entertain deals with other labels in the past, she had no problem refusing to even consider it. It was always only one goal for her: Find her peers. Once she found them, the goal was even more simple: Get to them. No matter what. Erinem is humbly looking for a way in, and wants desperately to be a part of this world where she has finally found those who are like her — who love what she loves, work as she works, and writes as she writes. She is often heard saying, longingly, “I just want to work with my peers.”



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