From Harpo’s Stage to Sobriety—A Rapper’s Rise Through Faith, Freestyles & ‘Fake Smiles

How up-and-coming artist E-Kaine overcame addiction, channeled his journey into powerful freestyles—and prepared for his debut EP, Seven Deadly Sins.

This week on BeatsToRapOn Podcast, we welcome E-Kaine—a rapper whose journey from private-school outsider to street-tested survivor fuels every bar he spits. In this unfiltered conversation, E-Kaine shares:

🔹 Origins & Inspiration
• Growing up “different” and bullied in private schools, then finding kinship in Tech N9ne’s unapologetic authenticity at age 13.
• Writing his first lyrics at 13 and recording tracks by 15—long before the world knew his name.

🎤 Lunchtime Freestyles & First Performances
• How public-school lunch-break cipher sessions cemented his identity as a chopper.
• His first live show at The Chatroom in Highland Park alongside Tone Gotti.

🔥 Rock Bottom & Rebirth
• Falling into heroin addiction at 17 and living on the streets and in gang culture.
• The life-changing news of fatherhood in 2022 that ignited his sobriety and refocused his dream.

🙏 Spiritual Pre-Show Rituals
• Why prayer and faith set the stage for every performance—from small Lansing bars to the historic Harpo’s Concert Theater.

🎶 Music Milestones
• “Mittenflow” (early 2023 remix debut) that introduced his ferocious flow.
• “OnlyThingCertain”—a raw autobiography of homelessness and survival.
• “P.O.S.”—a fearless exploration of heartbreak and self-worth.
• Let Me In EP (May 2024)—his first official seven-track statement of ambition and grit.

🎤 Going Off The Leash
• The TikTok freestyle “Off The Leash” that blew up overnight and morphs into a full record dropping mid to late July alongside his Lansing show.

🖋️ “Fake Smile” Origin Story
• From scattered journal entries on a piece of paper to a viral TikTok clip and soul-stirring single about depression, redemption, and raw truth.

👶 Life Beyond the Mic
• Balancing fatherhood (welcoming his second child) with a full-time job and a Music Production degree at the Los Angeles Film School.
• How he’s turning every challenge into creative fuel, because “without music, I wouldn’t be alive. Besides my children, music is my soul.”

❄️ Debut EP Preview: Seven Deadly Sins
• A seven-track deep dive into addiction, mental health struggles, family legacies and self-reflection—set to drop this winter with thunderous 808s and razor-sharp honesty.

Whether you’re climbing out of your own darkness or chasing big dreams, E-Kaine’s story proves that resilience, faith and relentless hustle can transform pain into purpose. Hit play, feel the energy—and get ready to go Off The Leash.

Connect with E-Kaine:
Artist Profile ▶️ https://beatstorapon.com/artist/e-kaine

Chat With Him Directly Here ▶️ https://beatstorapon.com/workspace-chat?start_chat_with=e-kaine

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Also find him:

SoundCloud ▶️ https://soundcloud.com/e-kaine
Spotify ▶️ https://open.spotify.com/artist/4JFKDXd7I6QIQJxtffqMoB
Instagram ▶️ https://www.instagram.com/therealekaine
TikTok ▶️ https://www.tiktok.com/@therealekaine
YouTube ▶️ https://www.youtube.com/@therealekaine
Facebook ▶️ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092486183757

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Transcript

0:03

Yeah, we're with E-Kaine here, absolute fucking epic rapper, up and coming in the scene. We're super stoked to have you. Thanks for coming in E-Kaine. So maybe we can kick off, you know, what's good for you? What's happening in your world? Yeah, thanks for having me, Chet. I really appreciate being here. Actually, so what's happening right now is I actually just got done last night doing a show at Harpo's Concert Theater in Detroit, Michigan. That was the largest stage that I've ever been on. There was a shit ton of talent there and it was really an epic night. The only shitty thing was the DJ kept on screwing everybody's setup and he actually cut off two of songs at the end of my set. He was not doing his job correctly and that kind of screwed up a lot of the vibes that everyone was having. But other than that, it was still a great experience. I mean, being up on that stage and feeling the energy, because it is a historical venue in Michigan. All of the artists that have been there before me, you could just feel that energy resonating on the stage when you stepped on there and it was amazing. That's so incredible. Man, let's dig into that a little bit more. It's such an honor, I mean, even to get the opportunity to perform in an event like that. What do you do before it? How do you prepare for something like that again? So what I do, what would you say? God, I can't think of the word. What I do before I get onto any venue, I'm a very, I wouldn't say I'm religious so much as I am spiritual. I do believe there's a God. So I know that this is meant for me, right? This is what I do and I've known that from a very young age. So I tend to pray before each and every set and then when I get up there and do my thing, it just kind of flows from me, from the actions to the words that I speak to the crowd, my interactions with the crowd. Nothing comes planned, you know what I'm saying? I get up there and it just, in the heat of the moment, it just happens. For this one, so I knew in advance, three or four months in advance that we was going to be up in Harpo's. I actually created a new song specifically for my set and I originally did it as a freestyle video on TikTok and I got so much love off of it that my boy that works for Atlantic Records, he hit me up and he told me like, this gotta be a record, bro. He's like, we have to make it. So he created a beat for me and then I got it recorded over here in my studio, got it all mixed, mastered. And then when I performed it last night, I mean, I had such an epic review off of it. It was amazing. I've never had this happen before, but last night in the crowd, there was a lady and when I stepped off the stage, she approached me and told me like, you know, your set was amazing. You're the best performer that we've had here in a long time. I truly enjoyed yours. Like when you started from start to finish, I couldn't stop watching. I was just engrossed in what you was doing. And that right there made me truly feel like this was meant for me. That is absolutely incredible. I was just getting a bit of goose pimples. Like, do you get goosebumps when you're up there on stage? Tell us about like when you, I don't know, you kind of like start walking up the stairs and then you slowly start to see, you know, the whole audience walk us through how that felt. So, all right. So from the moment I start walking up the stairs, it's like, you know, that feeling you get in your chest when it's just like tightening up and you can feel tension rising. That's what it's like walking up the steps behind the stage. And the minute my foot sets on to the platform of the stage, it's just all released. And I just feel euphoria. Like my whole body just feels and feels like it's lightweight and I can just feel like I can fly, bro. Like there's no other way to explain it other than it's the most surreal feeling that I ever had in my life. And I get it every single time I step on a stage. It don't matter if that stage is the size of Harpo's or if it's just a small bar in Lansing. Like every time I step on something that is a stage or resembles a stage, I get this feeling like just on top of the world. Like I could do anything. That is magic, man. That is magic. I just got a couple of more goose pimples when you were talking through that. What sort of tunes were you putting down? So I did all of my like my most streamed songs on Spotify, which is Caught Up In The Moment featuring Chris Calico. And then my second one was my new one called Off The Leash. It is a freestyle, but I'm going to be doing it in two sections. So when I release it, it's going to be coming up here pretty soon. I don't have a release date yet, but find me on my socials and stay tuned because it's coming. It'll be released as a freestyle and then I'm going to go back and I'm going to chop it down into two verses and add a hook in there so that it's a full length song because right now it's just like 45 to 50 bars of just straight spitting. I mean, it's just nonstop. And then I did my emotion, my most emotionally charged song, which is called Fake Smile. And that one, I mean, I've performed it before, but at Harpos, it was different. I don't know, when I got through the first verse and I was inside of the first hook, I could see people just thinking and feeling what I was wanting them to feel, which I mean, it is a heavy ass song. It's the heaviest song that I've ever created and probably ever will create just because of the material and the topics that it's about. And then after that, I went back into some more hype songs like Disappear featuring Chris Calico. I tried doing my verse for Can't Stop, Won't Stop featuring Crazy Bone, but the DJ, I don't know, he thought it was like a nightclub or something and tried to add too many effects in there and he cut the entire verse off. So I was like, all right, whatever. Tell us, share how you created this emotionally charged tune. How did it come about? What did you go through in order to create this magic? Absolutely. All right, so a little bit about me, right? I am a little over three years sober. I was- Well done, man. Thank you. I appreciate that. It means a lot. It's definitely not an easy thing to do, but for a long time, about seven, eight years of my life, I was out in the streets and I was addicted to heroin. Well, running around and just doing that nonstop, it was like my entire body just kind of started to shut down. I didn't have emotions anymore. I didn't have a care in the world. It was almost like my soul started to disappear. And then in 2022, I found out that I was going to be a dad and that just changed my entire life. I mean, from that moment forward, I dropped everything and I got sober. I got sober. I started going to school at the Los Angeles Film School for Music Production. I'm still in school right now. I graduate at the end of this year with my bachelor's degree. Amazing. We got to do something. I don't know what we got to do, but we got to do something for you on it. I mean, that is off the hook awesome. I appreciate it. But yeah, so that's the whole basis, right? And then it was during the first year and a half of when I was getting sober, depression hit. And I mean, to the fullest, suicidal thoughts, the whole nine that you can think of when it comes to depression, I was going through it. And I sat down with a piece of paper in front of me. I put down some thoughts. And honestly, that's how Fake Smiles started. It was just a piece of paper and my thoughts. And then when I went back, it was probably another year later when I went back to this paper and I started looking at it. And the story that I was writing on this paper, it was like, okay, I can see where it's going. And then I just made sense of it all. Because it was scattered all over the place. So I just put it all together, started, you know, making it rhyme a little bit and having some words in there that made a little bit more sense than what I had originally wrote. And then Fake Smile came about. And I found a beat for it on what's that? Beatstars.com. And I made a song on TikTok, like a video on TikTok. I didn't record it. I just did a video. And originally, it went viral. Like, overnight, it had 20,000 views and then growing. That is epic. But yeah, so when I did the video, and I started getting all those views and the comments of people telling me like, yo, your story, this song has hit me to my core. And I want to get sober now. And I'm trying, like, you know, how did you do it? I just had so many people telling me that they wanted to change their lives off of this song. And I just knew it had to be a record. Like it had to come out. And it hasn't had the success that I really, that I originally thought it would. But you know, it's a slow roll, man. You know, there ain't nothing overnight about this shit. You know, if you don't have the patience to make it in the music industry, you ain't going to make it period. You got to have patience. You got to persevere. And you got to know that every single song you put out, it ain't just going to blow up overnight. You know, I'm not Drake. I'm not Kendrick. I'm not I'm not these big names. Like not yet. Right. Yeah, absolutely. They got financial backing, you know, so like with money comes a little bit. It makes it a little easier to get noticed, you know, so like when I promote myself, it's smaller budgets at a time. So I still get noticed. And eventually, yeah, I'm going to make it up to that top. I'm climbing the rungs of the ladder. It's just it's just at a slower pace. But that is fine with me. I'd rather be I'd rather have a long career than a career that blows up immediately and then dies off. Hey Cain, your knowledge just on and how you think about things is very wise. You got a lot of wisdom in you. It sounds like this massive pivot you've done, incredible pivot, has kind of like given you superpowers, you know, to now really focus on yourself and focus on your music and really take that long road forward, you know, that successful, consistent road forward. I mean, you can see it with some of the things you're doing right now. How did you come up with the name Fake Smiles? Like I'm sure like you had a million names for this emotionally charged tune. How did you come up with that one? So I'm not even going to lie, like the instrumental that I picked was originally called Fake Smile. And it kind of fit because like through all of the through my entire addiction, I would I would smile in front of people. And when they would ask me what's wrong or, you know, what's going on, I'd be like nothing like I'm I'm OK. You know, like, don't worry about me. How are you doing? And the fake smile is just like you fake all that pain behind a smile. You wear a mask, a facade. You don't let people know what's really going on at the root of your soul. So you just kind of, you know, put it on for the world to see and hope that no one no one can see through it. Dude, it's just super deep. It's so awesome. It's like you talk to some of these, you know, other musicians and they just don't have some of the depths that a lot of like people who are on. We're graced and are very humbled to have people on Podbeats to rap on community and like these people such as yourself, E-Kaine, you know, it's just so deep and real, you know, like there's a real difference between fake people and people like you who lived it and can feel it. But not just do that. You can bring these emotions through the words and then connect with the audience, you know, which is incredible. Now, we talked a little bit about fake smiles. Let us know. Let us know a little bit more about you. Like what kind of sounds do you like? Do you flow? Do you chop? Like what kind of stuff you do? So my my biggest inspiration in music is Tech N9ne. He not only influenced my life, but my music, like everything about him is just amazing. The song that specifically got me with him is Red Nose. And, you know, growing up, I went to private schools and I didn't grow up with money, you know, I mean, I didn't grow up extremely poor, but, you know, we we got by pretty much is what it is. And the people in these private schools, they, you know, they would make fun of me because I didn't have as much money as them or I dressed differently than they did because of the place that I grew up in. And Tech N9ne's song Red Nose, when it comes on, I mean, immediately it's already dark. Right. And the words spoke to me just like it's OK to be different. It's OK to be that misfit of the world, because those are the people that can really shine a light through to the other side and to this side. So, you know, misfits and the people that are different, we can make it in well-rounded and speak to everybody, whereas a normal person or someone you would consider a normal person in that specific area, they wouldn't be able to get through to the people on my side because they wouldn't they wouldn't even want to. You know, they wouldn't even try to talk to someone like me at the time because they think they're better when I know I'm not better than nobody. I'm not better than you. I'm not better than the last guy. I'm not better than the homeless man down the street. I just put things together a little bit better. And I already got through that part of my life. So as far as sounds go, besides Tech, I really like the Suicide Boys. Anything really that's darker and flows on the darkest side of life is my jam. Like I definitely mess with the Suicide Boys and Diggy Graves. He's a little bit more like less known, but he's starting to he's starting his rise. And I just really I don't know. I like his melodic flows. So that's something that I'm trying to incorporate into my music is a little bit more melodies, because right now I'm just basically like straight hip hop, straight rap. I want to get more like singing in there. I've started taking singing lessons, too. So they're, you know, to help refine my voice a little bit. But I would consider myself a chopper for sure. My very first song that I ever put out was called King's Landing. And that one goes. I mean, when I first started performing, I had a dude try to back me up on the stage and he was like, I can't. He's like, I can't keep up with that. He's like, I'm sorry. I was like, it's fine. Like, don't worry about it, bro. Like you good. I do try to keep a consistent like I try to keep a variety in my music, you know, like I don't want all of my songs to be fast, but I don't want them all to be slow either, because there's there's a little bit of shit in there for everybody. You know, the people that love that fast chopper sound. I got that. The people that love that laid back, just bar for bar sound. I got that. And now I'm trying to get that melodic sound in there for the people that love that, too, because I want everybody to listen to my shit because I got a little bit of message for everybody out there. That's so cool. And like when you're thinking about like messages, like what were the main things that you you want to get out there? Treat people with respect is number one. Just because you don't see someone side of, you know, their view of the world, it don't mean that it's wrong. I have a lot of haters. I think everybody that's doing the right thing does. And I do have quite a few songs that like touch on that topic. But besides that, I have a lot of like mental health topics within my music. I actually just got done writing a song. It's another one that's featuring Chris Calico. And it's about like, it's about this lifestyle or the perceived lifestyle of fame, women, money, cars, jewelry. But it's all, it's all material. It all goes away. Like you can't take none of that with you when you die. Like that's all going to be stayed here on the physical plane. So and even if you do get like with the women, like this is a touches on a topic of in Chris's verse. It's like they'll pay attention to you because you're shining for the moment. But as soon as they see someone else that shine in the same way, they're going to leave you and go right over there. Like it's all temporary. So my verse and the hook, it kind of like touches on all of that. And it's just like, don't pay attention to it. Just stay true to you. Keep all 10 toes down, keep your fucking stiff upper lip and move forward. Don't pay attention to the shit that's going to fucking drag you down. Because honestly, the women, the money, if you get too caught up in all of that, you, you're going to stay stagnant. You're going to stay in the same spot. So that's what, you know, I'm just trying to make people move forward in their life and to pursue their dreams because whatever you put your mind to, you can do. Oh, that is so cool. I can't wait for the next tune to drop there again. Like, do you have a, like when's your next, like you got an EP coming out or you got like some singles coming out? Can you share anything more about any of that? Absolutely. So I'm actually, so I'm working on a lot. I got 12 different singles that I'm working on right now. I would put them in an album, but I already have an album in the works. I do have a title, but I'm not going to release that yet. It's that one's going to be, it's my debut album. So it's going to be like, just know it's going to be dark. It's going to be dark and it's going to hit hard. It's going to have a lot of 808 bass in there. And if you listen to it in the car, it'll make it thunder. I am working on an EP though. It's called Seven Deadly Sins. And it's all based on mental health aspects. I got, you know, like a few different things in there. One of the songs is about my dad. I never knew my dad growing up. I never met him. And now he's, he died in like two years ago. So I will never know him, but that's his problem, not mine. And in the song, it's basically me talking about like how I'll never be like him. You know, like I will always be there for my children and I'll do whatever it takes for me to be the best man that I can be. But yeah, so it's going to have, the EP is going to be seven songs long. Each one is going to be one of the deadly sins. And it's going to be such a nun. That is so dope. I love it. Sorry. Sorry. I just think that's so cool. You're just such a fucking champion, you know, like, I don't know, man. Like people like you, like inspire me and like just inspire a lot of people around the strength and will you have. A lot of people struggle, you know, like they struggle to find their strength and will to get through these things and start rising. You're rising, you know, like the wisdom you have is incredible. And I just, you know, just seven deadly sins. I just love it. It's also related to God and scriptures and, you know, so it's got like all of that behind it. You know, it's just so, there's just like a lot of deep meaning wrapped around what you're saying, you know, when you just stop and think about it. Absolutely. So to keep going on a seven deadly sins. So yeah, tell us a bit more about that. So, yeah, so there's going to be the song about my dad. There's going to, I'm going to put fake smile on there as well. It was originally released as a single, but I do have a little bit more production to do to it to get it like EP slash album ready. And then the one song that I'm working on in there, like I'm going to be singing on it. So God, I really hope it comes out the way I want it to. Cause I ain't never for real sang on a song before, but it's called mirror mirror. And that's going to be like me talking to myself, looking in the mirror, like, and it's all going to be a perspective on way back when, you know, obviously not how I am now, but it's going to be my future self. So me right now, looking back on my past, so talking to myself to bring myself out of the bullshit that I was doing. I already have an idea for the music video and like, it's going to be, it's going to be nuts. Cause like, I would love to have like a double of me looking in the mirror and then actually pull myself into the mirror. And then like, that would be sick. And then just be me in the future. Like we all come, we come together as one. That would be sick. When do you think that's going to like, what kind of like drop release cycle have you got coming out? You got something dropping in the next week, next month, what should people be looking out for? So yeah, my song off the leash, it's a freestyle that is going to be coming out next month. I'm going to, I'm planning on dropping it on the 4th of July, just because Independence Day, you know, every American and everybody in the world should be celebrating anyways. I mean, it is what it is, but I'm going to be off the leash that day for show. Cause I have another show in Lansing on the 4th of July and I can't wait. I'm going to go rock that stage at this bar in Max Bar. Yeah, it's going to be sick. I think I'm going on it. Max Bar, 4th of July, folks. Where can they get their tickets? Is it tickets or is it just door charge or walk in or? Yeah. So you can get your tickets at my website. It's www.therealE-Kaine.com. www.therealE-Kaine.com, smash the like button. And all of those details will be also in the description below. That's right. Yeah. And tickets will only, there'll be $10. I'm offering a $20 VIP type ticket and you'll get a free t-shirt with it. So come out and rock this, rock the stage, come grab a drink with me. It's going to be a hell of a night. That's for sure. And are tickets on sale now? When do tickets go on sale? Tickets are going to be going on sale on Monday. Right, on Monday. Excellent. So this is going to be out after that. Yes, it's going to be released that night. So the same night that I'm performing at the bar is going to be the same night that this song is going to be released. I'm just waiting on the copyright to come back. So cool. That is epic. So you've got that concert coming up on the 4th of July. That sounds super exciting. I just wish I could fly in for that one, actually. I'd love to see you up there on it. I'd love to have you. Maybe on one of the next ones or something like that. Yeah, absolutely. So what about some of your singles? So you mentioned one's coming out. Is there a few more that are going to come out? What should your fans be kind of expecting? So I am going to be going on a schedule of one single a month until 7 Deadly Sins is ready. So you can expect at least one single every month. And once I get the EP completely done, which I'm hoping to have it done before the summer's over, my plan is to drop it at the very beginning of winter. Just because I feel like the Deadly Sins and the weight of it kind of goes with the coldness of the winter. Bro, you're like so dead. I know, yeah. I love that. I love that shit. Just for the people who don't know what month Fazz is, because we have global listeners, as we kind of scale up, what month are you talking about there? We would be dropping in, it would be November. It'd be the end of November, beginning of December, because it's kind of up in the air to when snow and the winter season actually begins. And I know that those are kind of odd times to be dropping such a heavy EP because of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but there ain't no right time to drop music except when the artist feels like it. And that is when I feel in my heart and soul that it would do amazing and just have the most impact. But yeah, are you doing any launch parties? Are you doing any TikTok hypes? Are you doing any live streaming on TikTok? What can I get? How can I get closer to you? So yeah, I do try to go live on TikTok. I am extremely busy, because besides my music, I also have a full-time job. I have two children that I have full custody of, and I perform. But I do try to go live on TikTok. I normally be going live on Saturdays at 8pm. Saturday, 8pm. What time zones are, just for the global listeners? Eastern Standard Time. Yeah, perfect. So check that out. Yeah, and all of my socials are the same. It's at TheRealE-Kaine. You can find me everywhere. And I do follow back, and I respond. If y'all got any questions, if y'all have just something that you want to get off your chest, I'm here for it, and I'll answer you. No problem. That's so cool, E-Kane. And you can also check him out on Beats Seraphone website. He's going to be a feature artist on the homepage, all the major podcast platforms in the world. And we'll also be dropping, later on, a week after this drops, we're going to be dropping a big biography on him as well on our blog, which you'll be able to share, check out, get a little bit closer to him, and learn a little bit about his sounds and who he is. He's an incredible, incredible person, actually. Just an incredible person, an inspiration to the industry, an inspiration to people trying to come from very hard times of addiction, surpassing them, finding the strength and will, getting through that, and now becoming a dad of someone with a full-time job, and pursuing his music career at the same time. Just an incredible, just incredible achievements. Inspiration to everyone, Kane. Absolutely inspiration to everyone. We've just got a few more minutes left.