There’s no masking success of ‘Nine Lives’

Now the 29-year-old – who goes by the stage name Deuce – is going at it as a solo act and is finding success.

With the release of his debut album, “Nine Lives” in February, Erlichman has cemented himself as a solo act in the rap game. His album debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.

“It’s a dream come true that I’m going at this alone,” he says during a recent interview. “I’m stoked that people are really getting into the music and hearing what I have to say.”

Erlichman cut his teeth as a lyricist, songwriter and rapper for Hollywood Undead, which he co-founded in 2005 and then left in 2010. He is known for the masks that he wears while he’s performing.

“When I put on my mask, I take on the alter ego of Deuce,” he explains. “I’m not afraid of anything and I can leave it all out on the table.”

Erlichman spent the better part of a year putting the album together and says the process was about putting all of his ideas in one place.

“I really didn’t write anything until I got into the studio,” he explains. “I kept all my notes in my phone and when I went in that’s when we worked it out.”

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Erlichman says it went smoothly because he was able to keep focused in the studio.

“There weren’t distractions and I knew what the goal was,” he says. “I’ve been doing this for a while now that when a song wasn’t speaking to me, I had to let it go. I’ll come back to something like that later, but I had to move on.”

While doing most of the writing in the studio, Erlichman says he was introspective and wanted to talk about social issues. He took on everything from world issues to politics, and just wanted to get a lot off his chest.

“I know that people feel the way that I do,” he says. “I’m in a great place because I’m able to speak my mind and try to make a difference, though it’s weird to actually think that I can make a difference.”