In 2003, while attending East Carolina University, Herring and other colleagues started the performance art band
Art Lord & the Self-Portraits, which lasted until 2005.[13] Some of its former members started
Future Islands in 2006, and the band relocated to
Baltimore,
Maryland in 2008.[13] In 2013,[14] Herring took a break from the band's touring in order to spend more time on his solo rap project, writing more, and doing more shows.[13]
Parallel to
Future Islands, Herring continued rapping either solo, under the moniker Hemlock Ernst, or with his brother as Flesh Epic.[15] Hemlock was his original writing name on an on-line music board when he was in the 9th grade, from a poem he wrote about
Socrates taking the
hemlock poison.[16] Ernst comes from his character in Art Lord & the Self-Portraits who was named Locke Ernst-Frost: a reference to the religious poet
John Locke, the artist
Max Ernst, and the American poet
Robert Frost.[16]
In 2015, Hemlock Ernst teamed up with producer
Madlib for a new rap project called Trouble Knows Me.[17][18] Entirely produced by Madlib, the self-titled EP was released via
Madlib Invazion on September 1, 2015.[19][20] It was pre-sold at Madlib's show at The Mid in
Chicago,
Illinois on July 17, 2015, as well as Rappcats' website and a Rappcats popup shop.[21][22] On March 24, 2016, British musician
Four Tet sat in for
Benji B on
BBC Radio 1 and played "Rings in the Coffee", an unreleased track by Trouble Knows Me.[23][24]
On October 25, 2019, he released a rap album, Back at the House, via Ruby Yacht under the moniker Hemlock Ernst.[25][26] It was entirely produced by
Kenny Segal.[27]
In June 2022, Deadline[28] announced Herring had joined the cast of the Apple+ series
The Changeling; Season 1 of the show premiered in September 2023, in which Herring made his acting debut as William Wheeler.
On September 29, 2023 the Hemlock Ernst album The Fall Collection was released on the Alpha Pup label. Produced by
Height Keech.
Discography
Studio albums
Back at the House (2019) (with
Kenny Segal, as Hemlock Ernst & Kenny Segal)[29][30]
EPs
Trouble Knows Me (2015) (with
Madlib, as Trouble Knows Me)[31]
Singles
"Down" (2019) (with Kenny Segal, as Hemlock Ernst & Kenny Segal)[32][33]
In 2003, while attending East Carolina University, Herring and other colleagues started the performance art band
Art Lord & the Self-Portraits, which lasted until 2005.[13] Some of its former members started
Future Islands in 2006, and the band relocated to
Baltimore,
Maryland in 2008.[13] In 2013,[14] Herring took a break from the band's touring in order to spend more time on his solo rap project, writing more, and doing more shows.[13]
Parallel to
Future Islands, Herring continued rapping either solo, under the moniker Hemlock Ernst, or with his brother as Flesh Epic.[15] Hemlock was his original writing name on an on-line music board when he was in the 9th grade, from a poem he wrote about
Socrates taking the
hemlock poison.[16] Ernst comes from his character in Art Lord & the Self-Portraits who was named Locke Ernst-Frost: a reference to the religious poet
John Locke, the artist
Max Ernst, and the American poet
Robert Frost.[16]
In 2015, Hemlock Ernst teamed up with producer
Madlib for a new rap project called Trouble Knows Me.[17][18] Entirely produced by Madlib, the self-titled EP was released via
Madlib Invazion on September 1, 2015.[19][20] It was pre-sold at Madlib's show at The Mid in
Chicago,
Illinois on July 17, 2015, as well as Rappcats' website and a Rappcats popup shop.[21][22] On March 24, 2016, British musician
Four Tet sat in for
Benji B on
BBC Radio 1 and played "Rings in the Coffee", an unreleased track by Trouble Knows Me.[23][24]
On October 25, 2019, he released a rap album, Back at the House, via Ruby Yacht under the moniker Hemlock Ernst.[25][26] It was entirely produced by
Kenny Segal.[27]
In June 2022, Deadline[28] announced Herring had joined the cast of the Apple+ series
The Changeling; Season 1 of the show premiered in September 2023, in which Herring made his acting debut as William Wheeler.
On September 29, 2023 the Hemlock Ernst album The Fall Collection was released on the Alpha Pup label. Produced by
Height Keech.
Discography
Studio albums
Back at the House (2019) (with
Kenny Segal, as Hemlock Ernst & Kenny Segal)[29][30]
EPs
Trouble Knows Me (2015) (with
Madlib, as Trouble Knows Me)[31]
Singles
"Down" (2019) (with Kenny Segal, as Hemlock Ernst & Kenny Segal)[32][33]