Ethereal (musician)

Obie Rudolph (born July 10, 1989), known professionally as Ethereal, is an American rapper and record producer from Atlanta, Georgia signed to Awful Records. He is known as an early collaborator of American rapper Playboi Carti who credits him with helping the development of his sound.

Early life
Obie Rudolph was born July 10, 1989 in Atlanta, Georgia. The rapper and producer was born with sacral agenesis, a birth defect that affects the development of the spine. Rudolph is disabled and uses a wheelchair.

Career beginnings
In an interview with The Fader, Ethereal stated that his interest in making music began at the age of 16. He was influenced to create music by many of his friends around him who wanted to pursue rapping. When he was around 18, he wanted to choose a name for himself after he decided to take music seriously. Looking through a dictionary, he found the word "Ethereal" choosing it as his moniker. Ethereal explained he chose the name because “it resonated with [him], and it just kind of became who [he is].”

Ethereal’s first EPs include a mix of the genres jungle and drum and bass.

Awful Records and record production
Around 2013, Ethereal met Playboi Carti through a mutual friend. Ethereal would later collaborate with Carti helping him develop his sound. His earliest collaboration with Playboi Carti was in 2014 with the song "iknowuknow", on the album Cactus Jack. In 2015, he produced the track "Beef" with Playboi Carti.

In September 2016, he released a collaboration EP with American rapper Archibald Slim titled Slum Beautiful. In 2016, he produced "Pump Fake! (Freestyle)" with Playboi Carti. The title is a basketball reference to a pump fake. In December 2016, Ethereal and Playboi Carti released a single titled "Lemme Know".

Ethereal met American musician Faye Webster and later helped her sign with Awful Records in 2017.

In 2018, a remix to "Beef", the song made by Carti and Ethereal was made by American rapper Flo Milli titled "Beef FloMix". The song would go viral on TikTok in early 2019 becoming Flo Milli’s breakout hit.