YVL Transcends On Single “Africa”
Today, Atlanta rap upstart ApolloRed1 releases his melodic and deeply dreamy new single “Africa.” Out now via YVL / Interscope Records, the blissed-out track finds him tapped into a greater wavelength and wanting to bring others along for the ride.
The activity follows hot on the heels of Apollo’s mixtape Demon Heart Radio, which earned praise from the likes of VIBE, Complex, and HotNewHipHop, plus delivered the singles “Geeked Up!” featuring OsamaSon and “#Demon” featuring Bryant Barnes, and additional collabs with Destroy Lonely and HXG. With hypnotic vocals, an expansive sound, and lyrics that aren’t afraid to go deep, the 18-song set taps into the magnetism underground fans already know and love.
“Africa” feels like the start of something new. Produced by frequent collaborator Ayelavish! (Yeat, SoFago), the song smears glistening technicolor atmosphere over skipping snares and racing hi-hats as Apollo chant-sings, “My diamonds from Africa, my chains from Africa /… / My blood Africa.”
The “Africa” video is similarly stylish and atmospheric, showing Apollo artfully silhouetted against a background that pulses from pitch black to glowing purple. In between shots of him performing the song, chains glinting in the foreground, we see women and children in peaceful poses while feathers fall from the sky. The visual feels both minimal and filled with meaning.
Just last week, Apollo made an appearance on Ken Carson’s “9 b*tches” from his cartunez EP, before heading to Toronto to play First Class Fest. Next, he performs at ComplexCon 2026 on October 3 at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
Released in June, Demon Heart Radio finds Apollo charging headfirst into the raw excitement and complex emotions of youth with tracks to match courtesy of producers like Cardo Got Wings, F1LTHY, Bugz Ronin, TRGC, Clayco, OPM BABI, 1st Class, Johnny Juliano, Bakkwoods, 16yrold, and others. The project is rich with darkly gleaming soundscapes and dizzying chaos, but also light bursting through cracks in the horizon and moments of serious introspection.
Apollo recently discussed his vision on Lyrical Lemonade’s Call it a Day podcast alongside OPM BABI. He also entered the year on Complex’s “26 Rappers To Watch In 2026” list, and was ranked among “your next favorite rapper[s]” in The FADER’s coverage of Summer Smash 2026. He also lit up Rolling Loud Orlando in May, after wrapping up his run on the arena-crashing Antagonist 2.0 Tour alongside Playboi Carti, Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and HXG.
The rising artist has been steadily amassing acclaim and followers over the past couple of years, independently dropping a run of darkly stylish, sonically diverse, and distinctly thoughtful songs and projects — plus working with PlaqueBoyMax, sosocamo, 1300Saint, and others. A year ago, he dropped his buzzing Midnight Blassic set, the first release on YVL (see the video for “Drug Love Demo 2”). He then followed in October with his ApolloRed1 vs The World mixtape, which included the highlight “Profit,” plus features from Protect, Destroy Lonely, and others.
In February, he stepped into his current era with the SoundCloud-exclusive B4DEMON FM, a 10-minute stream meant to play like a radio broadcast introducing the themes now heard on Demon Heart Radio. Stay tuned in as Apollo continues to transmit his sound to the world.