Premiere: Eliturite Creates Textural Hip-Hop Beauty On “After Wake”
After years of helping to promote and celebrate Richmond musicians, it’s finally time for local MC Eliturite to step into the spotlight with his own music on a new album that explores his personal journey and sonic philosophy. After Wake is a ten-track hip-hop album that showcases the savvy style of Eliturite, the musical pseudonym of Elijah Hedrick, who is best known as a co-founder for HearRVA. For years now, Hedrick has helped raise awareness for Richmond music under the HearRVA banner through curated playlists, engaging interviews, lively showcases, informative recaps, rewarding collaborations, and more. But all of this has also helped instill new inspiration for Hedrick and a bigger grasp on the tools and discipline needed to create a lasting piece of art. And that’s exactly what he’s done on After Wake, a sublime collection of songs from a charismatic and confident MC that leaves the listener entertained and enlightened. Out everywhere on Friday, April 21st, it’s an album The Auricular is honored and overjoyed to premiere today with an exclusive stream below as well as some thoughts from Hedrick himself.
From start to finish, After Wake is a polished hip-hop record that balances lyrical depth with smooth sounds over songs featuring delightful hooks and catchy beats. The album opens with a soulful bang as Hedrick immerses himself in the swirling joy of “IG Up” in order to intensify the work of producer Ant The Symbol, one of many local and notable figures in the hip-hop community who lend their talent to the record. Hedrick is considerate with all of the contributions on the record, a hallmark of his layered aesthetic that aims to build on the harmony with melodic emotion ranging from amusing to contemplative. It’s an approach you would expect from someone who has built a platform (and community) like HearRVA, something that arose from a need to stay connected to what’s going on.
“It had been a while since I had done my music so I wasn’t sure If I really could anymore,” said Hedrick in a recent conversation. “But I wanted to be involved with the music scene anyway. I started HearRVA around the same time that I was thinking about making music again and this made me go out to events and meet other artists in the area. HearRVA gave me a reason to keep pushing when it was easy to just stay home on the couch. ‘I should go to this show, event, or meet and greet because more eyes and ears need to know how dope Richmond music is.’ This had me out making connections and becoming friends with many of the musicians in the area. Many made it onto this album.”
Some of these songs date back to the time when HearRVA was first establishing itself in town. As Hedrick and his partner Rian L. Moses promoted new releases each week on Instagram or offered people a quiz for a personalized local playlist, he was starting to think about his own music, one track at a time.
“I think the album closer was written in late 2020,” he recalled. “I know that it was the first song that I wrote for this record. Scoopkid sent me a beatpack to listen to and I knew that the beat that became ‘Rainbows In The Dark’ was going to be the capstone of my album.”
Despite seeing the finish line of the album in clear view, Hedrick didn’t rush the rest of the album, instead taking the time to flesh out the overall message of the record and make sure it could work in concept before he even thought about entering a studio. “I had to write my story backward to fill out the track list,” he described. “Once they were written, I allowed them time to mature and to keep developing in my head until I felt that it was ready for a final recording.”
Helping this process along was Richmond’s vibrant music scene, which was teaching Hedrick all the various manners to write, record, and perform music, whether it was hip-hop related or not. “Every time that I went to an event, I was observing how things were put together,” he explained. “When I was interviewing an artist, I was listening to everything that they said and trying to apply those lessons to my own music. I found myself in many rooms where I wasn’t the smartest, but I knew how to take notes.”
Taking those notes allowed him to distill memories and events in his life clearly with his music, such as on album highlight “Pidurangala Rocks,” which was released as the last single from the album before its official release. Here, Hedrick looks at his place in the world and the perspective shift he’s undergone over the years that’s led him to the point where he can “bleed Richmond,” as he remarks on the song. The genesis dates back to an eleven-month journey in 2018 that included a stop in central Sri Lanka to visit the famous Pidurangala Plateau.
“When we got there, we found that Pidurangala was very expensive to climb and check out,” Hedrick remembered. “We were told that there was another plateau, Sigiriya, that was almost as tall and close enough to see the Pidurangala Plateau from, so we climbed that one.”
At this point, Hedrick was five months into his year-long travel and the consequences of a nomadic lifestyle with little control and constant moving were starting to weigh on him. Anxious and edgy, Hedrick found comfort in the form of a chance encounter on the train ride through the mountains before even coming to the view of a lifetime.
“On the train ride through the mountains, I talked with a local man named Dulanjaya for over an hour,” Hedrick remembered. “He led me through the train and found a spot in between cars where we could watch the towns pass in the valleys below and share a hand-rolled spliff. It was a moment that I was not expecting, but really needed. It was amazing and that experience is still reverberating in my head.”
Upon his return, Hedrick’s focus became clear as he began exploring the local music scene through any means possible. One such avenue was the RVA Rap Elite series, founded by local legend Radio B, where Elijah served as a judge and coach, but also found himself learning much more about performance and skill. “Vocal projection, clarity and stage presence make all the difference,” he points out. “Take one away and your music doesn’t hit. I know within five seconds of a Rap Elite performance which emcees really learned their verse and which ones wrote it yesterday. It’s easy to see.”
Observations like that helped Hedrick bridge the gap between music releases so there wasn’t any rust to shake off or creative hurdles to overcome. Instead of just rushing an album out to capitalize quickly on everything he’s learned, Hedrick began the project with an open mind, spending ample time with each instrumental in order to truly understand the song before even thinking about where he could fit in. “I know that I listened to all of them for weeks before ever putting pen to paper,” he stated. “I wanted to give my brain space to make all the connections it needed, so my mind was primed when it was time to sit and write.”
This careful attention gives After Wake textural beauty, where his voice mixes in with the curated sounds from each producer. The end result is a collection of songs where the lyrics and vocal rhythms look to boost the sounds underneath, instead of the alternative where an MC looks to use the instrumental as a springboard for his own style. This approach comes naturally for Hedrick as he approaches each song with an understanding of all the work that has goes into its creation. To him, it’s about cooperative trust in this way.
“I hang out with Ant The Symbol a lot and I think when you spend that much time with a producer you view them as a partner,” he remarked. “I always wanted to take what the producer did and enhance it, not overpower the track. I really viewed this project as a collaboration and not a project where I was showcasing only myself.”
That partnership extends far beyond a professional aspect for Hedrick. In some ways, After Wake is a family affair in that it celebrates the deep connections and unbreakable bonds the MC has made through his work at HearRVA and other platforms. Each producer on the album is an important part of Hedrick’s musical journey, past and present, something that Hedrick himself is still amazed at.
“I work with people that I’m friends with,” he states. “Almost everything I do starts [with] Ant The Symbol. He’s been the biggest supporter of me and my music, so I was writing songs to Ant beats before I knew I was working on an album. Gordy Michael is my cousin and I always like to include something from him on my projects. Ohbliv and Scoopkid are longtime friends that I met making music years ago and we’ve stayed in each other’s circles. Years ago, I met DJ Harrison through Ohbliv and Gordy Michael and in the early days of HearRVA we started talking more and he was open to working together. I still can’t believe the collection of production that I got on this album.”
Being so familiar with the people around him also helps give After Wake a conversational tone that adds to the mellow soothing spirit of the music. “I’m usually just having fun in those moments or allowing the listener a brief peek behind the curtain,” he described, though the informal approach seems to extend beyond little moments. Each song has places and sections where the musical fourth wall is broken in some manner to let the listener understand the loose and intimate approach to the music.
“I like hearing the small glimpses into the artist’s mind that you can hear on records sometimes,” he described. “So a lot of times after I record a verse or hook, I will let my mind wander and record what comes out. On ‘Pidurangala Rocks,’ I forgot the name of the plateau that we climbed and was asking my wife. On ‘IG Up,’ I’m apologizing to Gordy Michael for asking him to turn my headphones up when he was engineering for the first time on my laptop and couldn’t find where the button was.”
Though it comes across as a leisurely listen, that textural beauty still shines through and lends itself to the tidal nature of the music. There’s an organic ebb and flow to After Wake that lets the music flow between surging sounds and placid grooves while the lyrics ripple from poignant reflections to casual observations. “There is a big water theme in this album and water goes where it fits,” Hedrick explained. “It doesn’t force anything — it just flows. I try to be like that now.”
And Hedrick isn’t forcing anything at all right now, even as he looks to translate the smooth ambiance of the record into a live setting. In March, he performed alongside a full band for Shockoe Sessions Live filmed at In Your Ear studios, something that came together comfortably and let him cross something off on the musical bucket list. “I mean, it has always been a dream of mine to rap with a band, but I didn’t think it was going to happen,” he said. “When I was asked about doing the Shockoe Sessions Live, I said yes first and then found a band. Luckily for me, I knew some musicians already and HearRVA gave me a little name recognition with others I reached out too. I love how they were able to take the tracks and put their own personal style into it. I love a good group project.”
He will perform again alongside a band this Saturday night at Black Iris Social Club for the release party of After Wake, another chance for people to see how Hedrick’s personal growth over the years has led to a conscientious approach to music. “I take more time with my songs now,” he stated. “I now know the importance of how you emote the song during recording and performances. It’s not just memorization — you have to believe those words and be able to say them without thinking. They have to be a part of you.”
That mindset extends to how Hedrick views the concept of building a fanbase, especially as the amount of new music releases out of Richmond continues to grow each week. “I know that the amount of music coming out each week is overwhelming,” he said. “I’m sure someone will miss After Wake because fifty other things came out, but I just want to share this with the people that might enjoy it.” To Hedrick, it’s not about reaching a large group of people instantly to raise his streaming numbers. It’s about a real connection with listeners, something that Hedrick thinks about a lot.
“I remember when I interviewed Sneeze [for Liner Notes] and he was talking about how he makes sure to connect with people to build true fans,” Hedrick recalled. “That person-to-person approach.” Making those connections is the core of Hedrick’s musical approach, and what really makes the release of After Wake such a big triumph for him, personally and professionally.
After Wake comes out Friday, April 21st on all streaming platforms and Eliturite is celebrating with an album release concert on Saturday, April 22nd at Black Iris Social Club. He’ll be joined by Sneeze, Kay Taurus, and DJ B-Rice with the doors opening at 8 PM and music starting at 9 PM. You can order tickets in advance, which can be bundled with a digital download of the album or a physical CD or cassette. For more information on the show, click here or view the show poster below.
