Elijah Toyt — a 23-year-old hip hop artist from Northern Kentucky who goes by E The Profit — has lofty goals for his music career. Like many young people raised in the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati area, he navigated a culture where the norm is valued and the undefeated path is rarely walked. Although it has taken a path vulnerable to skepticism, E The Profit’s journey thus far has been entangled in trust, support and belief.

Being the product of an area with a lackluster hip hop culture, he assumed a desire to represent the northern Kentucky and Cincinnati region and bring attention to an area rich in talent.

“I want to be the one doing it,” he said. “When you think of Kanye in Chicago or Jay-Z in New York, that’s the association I want.”

On his 2021 project E for effortless, E The Profit embodied a harsh and propulsive sound without sounding brash and affected. The project is riddled with cheeky bars and steady streams that grip the listener. When discussing this project, E The Profit said that it was quality work for him at the time, but he was always looking to improve.

“I’m my biggest critic but I also have to be my biggest fan because if I don’t believe in myself no one will believe in me,” E told The Profit.

E The Profit is aware that the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area does not have its hallmark, and while he knows he cannot create that sound on his own, he is determined to evolve his own. while drawing more attention to the region.

“We’re just neglected and I’m sick of it. Someone has to do something, you know what I mean? You can’t talk about it forever,” he said.

E The Profit spoke of his success as if it were destined: he exuded an air of single-minded conviction. His eagerness to follow through on his ambition is what he feels sets him apart from other local artists. His philosophy emphasizes the execution of ideas, because it is when ideas come to life that they are remembered.

And when it comes to developing as an artist and turning his designs into products, E The Profit still got help and belief.

NKU senior Ethan Dickens, specializing in electronic media broadcasting, has propelled E The Profit’s music career through his music videos, helping produce many of his videos since he started making music.

“I don’t know of any other artist who devotes as much time and reps as he does. Every song he improves and that goes with every video we make for him,” Dickens said.

Tanner Moeves, an alumnus of NKU and founder of the multimedia production company Soul Serum, is the manager of E The Profit and has fully believed in its success since they started working together in 2020. Moeves, an active and attentive figure from the local music scene, said E The Profit’s work and future is generally met with optimism when interacting with different audiences, peers and artists through his work.

“People’s opinion of me is none of my business, do you feel me? I’m out here doing my thing and they may like it or they may not like it, because there are a lot of people out there who like it, and those are the people I care about,” E The Profit said.

The sense of assurance surrounding E The Profit’s breakthrough is bolstered by a supportive crew, balanced work ethic, and ever-improving music.

E The Profit’s drive to make a name for themselves through music is achieved with a focused vision that allows them to take steps to continue growing their fan base and cultivating their distraction-free sound. He doesn’t care what other artists in the area do, but he respects them nonetheless.

“People spend too much time trying to bury everyone else trying to get to the top, and you don’t have to. There’s so much room up there for everyone,” he said. “It is not a competition.”

As E The Profit and his team strive to get his music into the ears of more people through consistent social media posts, regular song and music video releases, and broadcasts live, he became more in tune with his personal creative process.

Discussing his upcoming project which he plans to release in April or May, he revealed that he has enough recordings to do several projects, but wants to organize the perfect work to represent this chapter of his career. .

On his next project, E The Profit says he’s taking his time with an emphasis on quality control. He captured the creative sparks as they arose, nurturing them with patience and grace. He also explained that he had been more concerned with letting ideas sprout naturally and not rushing the creative process at the expense of quality, finding that sleeping on an inconclusive idea would sometimes engender a response.

“I will dream of myself in the studio and literally finish the song. Those kind of moments where I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s gas. That’s how I know it’s supposed to happen.

In his upcoming work, he said he finds himself rapping about his life and telling his story, which he hopes will resonate with an audience who can relate.

“The creative process is a mixture of experimentation and almost nostalgia,” he said of his recent recordings.

E The Profit’s confident and poised demeanor may lead some to believe that a music career was always in his plans, but that’s not the case. He played football at Thomas More University and graduated with a degree in exercise science in 2021. He tore his ACL in his sophomore and freshman years, which he says will hurt him. prompted him to think about what he wanted to accomplish in his life.

E The Profit talked about his football injuries as if it were a fluke. Although he loved football and says he would never have quit on his own terms, he says stepping away from the sport set him on his current path. It gave him time to focus on his music and make key people connections to launch his music career.

One of those valuable bonds was with his manager, Moeves. Moeves graduated from NKU in 2019 with a degree in organizational leadership. While at NKU, Moeves was the social president of Pi Kappa Alpha, giving him the responsibility of booking DJs and venues for parties and sparking its interest in event production.

“I got a first taste of what hosting a concert would potentially look like,” Moeves said.

Multimedia company Soul Serum, founded by Moeves, got its start in talent buying and event promotion, and eventually branched out into music video production and podcasting amid the COVID-19 outbreak. 19.

Moeves now pursues his musical endeavors full time, trying to revitalize local music culture and inspire people to engage with the scene.

For E The Profit and Moeves, college was a time that sparked life-changing revelations that set them on their current path. They recognized that they were giving up the “safe path” by following their sense of purpose – a road with ups and downs that they happily navigate.

“Security is no fun bro, I’m 23. I have the rest of my life to be safe,” E told The Profit.

E The Profit and Moeves are bonded by their shared ambition to transform the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky area into a hub of music culture that demands national attention.

Between the anticipation of a new project to be released in April or May and a live performance scheduled for April 16 at Madison Live in Covington, their mission is fully effective for 2022.

For NKU students engaged in the hip hop scene, a local artist garnering national attention would be an unforgettable sight that unites and enlivens the community. But such a feat requires patience; Gradually, E The Profit expands its fanbase and establishes itself as a name to know in the region.

“I’ve never been to a show before, but I know a few of my buddies have and they loved the energy. I hope to be there at Madison Live for sure. He’s developed a bigger fan base, so he should be on,” said NKU sophomore Jason Lam.

When the time is right and the crowds get to grips with the name E The Profit, Moeves and E The Profit want the process to be organic and long-lasting, with people getting wind of the artist who’s slipped off their radar but been ahead. them all the time – not because of a single moment of virality but because of consistency and craftsmanship. E The Profit and his team put in countless hours of work – building from the ground up – in hopes of creating something that will leave an everlasting impression.