This rapper secretly recorded his ENTIRE album in an Apple Store
Most of us wind up in the Apple Store when our computer’s start-up screen turns inexplicably grey for 12 hours . But all those other times when our Apple products aren’t broken, we’re just wandering around the store in awe, debating whether or not to buy those beautiful (but pricey) iPhone cases, and checking our Facebooks for the thrill of using a fancy new computer. And while more than a few of us have used Apple Store computers for personal use (folks who use Photobooth to take selfies, lookin’ at you!), very few of us none of us have ever dared to record an entire rap album on one of their devices…until now.
Meet Prince Harvey, a rapper from Brooklyn who, as you may have guess from the headline, recorded his entire debut rap album at the Apple Store.
It started out normally enough. “First, my computer died. Then, my external [hard drive] died,” Harvey told Daily Beast. But, seeing that he and his 20 roommates were facing eviction in Brooklyn, buying a brand new computer wasn’t really in the cards. “New York is expensive. I couldn’t just buy another laptop. I just thought, I’m going to die before anyone knows I’m hot.”
Rather than sitting idly by, Prince Harvey did what any daring, passionate artist would do — he recorded an entire album in the Apple Store. Armed with a thumb drive and a few verses, Harvey made daily trips to Apple’s SoHo store, using a display computer to record all of his work.
Thanks to a few Apple Store employees who were willing to bend the rules, Harvey was able to record his album (almost) seamlessly. But with any great creative undertaking, Harvey faced his share of challenges. “One time, there was a fire drill and I was trying to save my work, and this lady came over and disconnected the thumb drive while it was saving,” he said. Collective cringing over here! Eventually though, Harvey started hiding his unfinished tracks in the desktop’s trash to avoid those routine memory wipes.
Finally, after sixteen weeks of consistent trekking from Brooklyn to SoHo, Prince Harvey finished his debut album, PHATASS. It stands for Prince Harvey At The Apple Store SoHo —which is kind of the best album name of all time. So, yep, I think Prince Harvey just redefined “Genius Bar.”
PHATASS drops July 26, but you can check out his single “No Music,” below.
(Image via Instagram)
