A New York-based rapper has taken the phrase "demo unit" quite literally, saying that he parked himself at Apple's SoHo store in Manhattan five days a week, for sixteen weeks, so he could use the store's display computers to record a full-length album.
Prince Harvey, via The Daily Beast
Going by the name Prince Harvey, the little-known Dominican artist told The Daily Beast that he was forced to hatch his Apple Store plan after one computer broke down and another was stolen.
"I had a date, and I wanted to go to Chinatown to buy squid and I was rushing, and left the hard drive with everything plugged in, and when I came back, it was gone," Harvey said. "That's when I realized I need to step everything up to, like, maximum intensity--as far as motivation and desire [to complete the album] goes."
Harvey added that a pair of SoHo store employees were sympathetic to his plight and helped him get the time he needed. To preserve his editing sessions, he would e-mail files to himself, save them to a thumb drive, or hide them in the OS X trash --Â which is apparently not emptied when the store's display computers are reset.
With no musical training, Harvey paints himself as a pure artists who just wants to make a living doing what he loves and performing for anyone who will listen.
"But I do want money. I want to tour. I want to perform for different people," he added. "Shit, I'll go to Antarctica for the penguins if they're feeling it."
The Apple Store in SoHo is something of an artists' hub, as it is home to the popular series Meet the Filmmaker and Meet the Musician. In years past, Apple has also hosted full-fledged concerts there in the past, including Maroon 5 and Linkin Park back in 2008.