Producer • Recording Artist • Audio Engineer • Educator • Media Personality
Founder of Scratchpaper Productions
Chapter One — From Rhythm to Rhyme
Eric Carlyle Wilson Jr. was born into a world of rhythm long before he ever wrote his first rhyme. Raised initially in East Cleveland, Ohio, Wilson grew up surrounded by music. His father, Eric C. Wilson Sr., was a jazz musician, and music was a natural presence in the household. Another early influence was his late uncle Raymond, who taught him rhythm through body percussion and tapping on everyday objects, helping develop Wilson’s natural sense of timing.
Wilson later lived in several east-side Cleveland neighborhoods including Hough, East 89th and Cedar, and Cliffview. Music entered his life formally through school. While attending Wade Park Elementary School, he played snare drum in the school orchestra and sang in the school choir.
Wilson also participated in programs through the Cleveland Music School Settlement and served as an assistant drum instructor at the League Park Center in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, located on the historic grounds of League Park. During this same time he taught himself how to play piano and keyboard, developing the instincts of a composer long before he would be known as a rapper or producer.
Chapter Two — The Birth of a Rapper
Eric Wilson began writing rap lyrics in the summer of 1985 after his cousin Lee Jernigan suggested starting a rap group together. The two formed Rappertron Rappers, marking Wilson’s entry into hip-hop culture.
Before turning thirteen, Wilson had already developed strong freestyle abilities. One of his earliest stages was the back of the school bus, where classmates would gather and ask him to rap. Wilson often performed alongside Ronald Askew, also known as Dominator, who provided beatboxing while Wilson freestyled.
Sometimes Wilson created his own percussion by tapping rhythms on his chest, tables, or objects like pens while rapping. These moments became the early training ground for a freestyle artist.
Chapter Three — First Time on the Mic
Wilson’s first public performance occurred at Margaret Spellacy Junior High School when legendary Cleveland DJ John “DJ Johnny O” Horton was DJing a school dance. Johnny O allowed Wilson to grab the microphone and rap in front of the audience.
Years later that moment came full circle when Wilson began working with Johnny O professionally at the Nerve DJ Institute, where Wilson serves as a music production instructor.
Chapter Four — Military Years and Battle Rap
After graduating from Euclid High School, Wilson enlisted in the United States Army in 1991 and was stationed at Camp Walker in Taegu, South Korea.
During his service he purchased recording equipment and began experimenting with music production in the barracks. His freestyle abilities continued to develop, and while attending Advanced Individual Training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, he entered rap battles and won eleven battles in a row.
Chapter Five — The Studio Awakening
Wilson’s earliest recordings were created using a cassette recorder and guitar amplifier in his bedroom. His first beat-making equipment included a Casio SK-1 sampler keyboard and a small four-pad drum machine.
Because he already played piano and composed melodies, Wilson naturally began rapping over his own beats rather than using instrumentals made by others. This practice became a defining characteristic of his career.
Chapter Six — Cleveland Studios and Bar Nun
After returning from military service, Wilson began recording more seriously. One of the earliest groups he worked with was The Kinsmen, which included his cousins Leland Jernigan and Timothy Jernigan. Around the same time he became the first producer for Cleveland rapper AFM.
Wilson later formed the group Bar Nun with friends from the Cliffview neighborhood. The original members were Eric Wilson, Bird, Big Mone, Nasty Nun, and Da Bandit.
Bar Nun performed across Cleveland and Ohio and opened shows for national acts including 2 Live Crew, Too Short, and UGK. The group recorded at several Cleveland studios including Beachwood Studios, D-Arts Studio on East 55th near South Marginal Road, and Buchanan Recording Complex.
Chapter Seven — Production and Legacy
Over time Wilson built a vast production catalog. He has hundreds of songs registered in his ASCAP catalog and has created thousands of beats over the course of his career. At times he produced between three and ten beats a day using the Akai MPC while composing melodies on the keyboard.
Wilson has produced music for countless artists from Cleveland and surrounding areas, contributing beats, engineering, and production to singles, albums, collaborative projects, and soundtrack work. His studio has become known as a creative hub where artists come to work directly with him as he composes beats in real time.
Chapter Eight — The Confluence Era
Wilson’s current chapter centers on the project THE CONFLUENCE. The name comes from the definition of a confluence — where multiple rivers merge to form a single larger body of water.
For Wilson, the album represents the merging of artists, ideas, personalities, and musical styles from across Cleveland’s hip-hop scene. THE CONFLUENCE brings together younger artists and legacy figures, pairing collaborators who might never have worked together otherwise.
Wilson describes the album as a selfless project. Each beat, concept, and hook was created with the featured artist in mind, allowing every song to reflect the identity of the collaborator. With 35 songs, each track carries its own unique sound, reflecting the diversity of Cleveland’s hip-hop culture.
Through THE CONFLUENCE, Wilson hopes to demonstrate the power of collaboration and community in hip-hop, reinforcing the idea that when creative voices merge, they can form something greater than any one artist alone.