While Chet Haze's Northwestern-centric "White and Purple" went viral last year at this time, another aspiring hip-hop artist was busy recording his own version of Wiz Khalifa's much-covered "Black and Yellow."
Eric Francis called his cover "Blue and Yellow," after the colors of East Meadow High School. Soon after its release, it spread quickly among his peers and became what Francis calls a "school anthem."
Francis, 19, whose stage name is E-Roc, cites this cover as the track that inspired him to partner with producer Josh Stone to form the production company, BuzzKILL, and work on his first mixtape. Ever since this first experience, his life has been full of excitement. He released his mixtape, "Love or Fame," Dec. 19 and his first single, "Sorry for the Wait," Jan. 16.
While many students here at Northwestern have no idea what they want to do after college, Francis says he is dedicated to his future as a hip-hop artist. And how could anyone resist being so excited after all the acclaim his mixtape has garnered so far?
Although he speaks enthusiastically about the release of this mix tape and of his rap career, the Queens musician didn't originally intend to become a rapper. His interest in music started as a hobby during his freshman year of high school.
"Two friends of mine were always into rapping," said Francis. "I would always hang out with them and they would tell me to freestyle. But at that time I knew nothing about it. As time went on I began to hang out with them more and more, and it became more than just a hobby."
Ever since then he has been writing and producing his own music. He says his passion for the hip-hop genre leads him to constantly write new songs, most of which he builds through freestyle rapping, which allows him to express his thoughts and feelings in his own artistic way.
"I play the instrumental a couple of times just so I get the feel for it," Francis said. "Most of the times I have my song built by freestyling because it's just what flows naturally. And then from there I form lyrics to it. First, I try to only form a chorus because then everything else is easier from there."
Francis says he enjoys listening to different types of music and experimenting with various styles, and that his producer helps open him up to new sounds. He describes Stone's style as more pop-like but nonetheless appreciates the influence it has on his own hip-hop style.
"Anytime we're on a track, we fuse together and make this great music," Francis said of his collaboration with Stone.
Several artists have inspired Francis's music, namely Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G. and Michael Jackson. Listening to his tracks, it is easy to hear the elements of each of these musicians' styles blended in with Francis' own smooth, lyrical rap style. He says the contributions these artists have made to the music industry make him feel even more thankful for his own career choice. He hopes to make his own waves in hip-hop and expand on the legacy these musicians have created.
Another influence on Francis's music is his upbringing in Queens. He describes his early life in Queens as somewhat difficult and says that a few of his songs reflect the struggle he had to find his way.
"As I grew a little bit older, I started to get into more trouble so my grades started sinking," Francis said. "I began bad-mouthing teachers. So basically my life was heading in a bad direction. Now my parents got me on track and things are better."
Francis says he lives his life always looking to improve, whether it be his music or his life in general. He appreciates the constant praise he gets for his music, but he refuses to settle for it only being "good."
"Good just isn't good enough for me," he said. "So I guess that always keeps me working and looking to do new things."
He is very excited, as are his family and fans, to see where his music takes him later on, and in the meantime he balances his musical talent with other interests of his. He even hopes in the future to pursue several of these interests, including art, acting and modeling. Francis says that his main focus will absolutely remain furthering his music career, but he still hopes opportunities to act or model will arise so that he can continue improving himself and pursuing his interests.
As he continues on in his rap career, Francis has many ideas of what he would like to accomplish. He hopes to work with J. Cole and Drake because he admires their styles of music. He also wants to collaborate with several producers such as Justin Timberlake and Swizz Beatz.
As for these career goals, he plans to take everything step-by-step in order to be thorough and enjoy his experiences along the way. He acknowledges his fans as one of the most important parts of his career.
"I definitely want to establish a solid fan base because once you make it up there you'll always need that support from your fans," he said.
Wherever his music career decides to take him, Francis plans to continue improving his musical skills and talents as much as possible so that the world can experience his passion right alongside him.
"You have to invest in yourself so that others invest in you," he said with confidence. "That's how other people know you're serious about this and it's not just some hobby or something you're just doing for quick cash."