One of my New Years Resolutions is to try to discover, support, and connect with more Philly artists I think are dope. Since OKP started as a Philly-centric site, I thought it couldn't hurt to make a thread to share current Philly artists, shows, labels, events, whatever. Anything I post below will be skewed towards my personal taste, but feel free to add on if there's other stuff you want to share. To start it off, I'm going to post below about the following in a moment:

Yikes The Zero (Rapper/Producer)

ialive (Rapper/Producer)

Has-Lo (Rapper/Producer)

Grimace Federation (instrumental post-rock/jazz/electronic/hip hop)

Air Is Human (instrumental post-rock/jazz/electronic/hip hop)

Square Peg Round Hole (instrumental post-rock/jazz/electronic/hip hop)

Extra Lovely Records (a label self-described as exotic, electronic, hip hop, psychedelic, jazz, melodic)

For some reason Yikes voice/flow makes me think of a deeper voiced Camp Lo, but his production is way weirder/abstract. His stuff goes between feeling really dark and silly/playful, sometimes in the same track. The first time I heard that wobbly synth melody that comes in at 0:49 on "Keystone Shadows":

https://soundcloud.com/extralovelyrecords/yikes-the-zero-keystone-shadows

Right now this guy is my favorite Philly hip hop artist, I'm still catching up on his old stuff. I feel like some of it just hits the exact right mix of subtle/emotive/melodic/weird/dark/gutter/pretty that I love.

One more weird interlude/instrumental track from one of his old albums I think is beautiful that I've zoned out and put on repeat 4-5 times in a row:

https://yikesthezero.bandcamp.com/album/a-kid-and-his-monsters-2

Good looks man, I'm liking this guy's stuff so far.


Do you know who Adam Jeez is? Because this is nice-

https://extralovelyrecords.bandcamp.com/track/yikes-the-zero-prod-by-adam-jeez-sleep-walk


Ran across this on Soundcloud too-

https://soundcloud.com/attic_tapes/yikes-the-zero-attic-tapes-old-time-kids


Dude is dope.


Any other info on him?


***Isn't that Stainless Steele guy from Philly? (seems to be on the same label) Or am I confused?

but when I search him, nothing else comes up


I think Stainless Steele is the founder of Extra Lovely, he sounds really good too but I haven't dug deep into his stuff. Here's his bandcamp, theres lots of music on it: https://stainless1.bandcamp.com/

Seems like maybe he is from somewhere in PA outside Philly, since all his pages say Pennsylvania.

ialive raps and produces kind of like he could have been on Def Jux circa 2005, but feels a little bit more positive and easier to relate to. Probably easiest to quote him about himself: "De La taught me to Tread, Aes taught me to Float."

His last full album had Mr Lif and Onry Ozzborn on it, and is super dope to me. My favorite tracks might be "Alone" or "Vs Myself":
https://ialive.bandcamp.com/track/alone
https://ialive.bandcamp.com/track/vs-myself

That albums was more mellow/introspective which I love, but recently he released an EP thats a lot more energetic, but also good: https://ialive.bandcamp.com/album/the-jelly

Has might be the most recognizable name I posted, but I only started checking for him more recently after I checked out the 'Hard Writer' EP. Probably a fair description is he sounds at home somewhere between Wu-Tang, Mello Music Group, and Rhymesayers. He has a ton of music and I'm not up on all of it, but I really love the slower/more introspective sounding cuts "Bracelets" and "Hard Writer" on the new EP - I must've played those two back to back 50+ times now. Here's "Hard Writer:

https://has-lo.bandcamp.com/track/hard-writer

Funny you should mention Mello Music Group because he released three albums with them, Conversation B, In Case I Don't Make It and Live Like You're Dead with Castle, but I assume maybe you already know this.

I knew In Case I Don't Make It was Mello, but not the other two, gonna have to check them out

I started checking for them as they were listed as having done some live instrumentation for Aesop Rock's last two albums, and Aes has remixed a few of their songs. They released a new EP on Rhymesayers which is nice.

They probably first came on my radar from Aes's remix of "Bosico", but the original which is completely different is my favorite track of theirs...I've listened to this so many times:

https://grimacefederation.bandcamp.com/track/bosico

and the title track from their RSE EP:

https://soundcloud.com/grimace-federation/1-grimace-federation-the-measure-in-mixture

These guys have released a lot of EPs, and I think you can hear them progressively perfecting their craft...They don't have the Aesop Rock/Rhymesayers affiliation that Grimace Federation does, but I think they are every bit as good. Their stuff is a bit grittier/darker/'rock' sounding than Grimace I think.

Here's a choice track from an EP they released last year:

https://airishuman.bandcamp.com/track/into-the-cold

I left out the hip hop on this description, just doesnt feel as much hip hop to me, but again, every bit as good. lots of interesting xylophone/glockenspiel/vibes stuff along with warm analog sounding synths and guitars, awesome mix of live drums and electronic. Sometimes reminds me a little of Dosh, but slower and more 'honest' sounding if that makes sense:

Here's their album from last year:
https://squarepegroundholemusic.bandcamp.com/album/juniper

If you're not sold by the climax at 3:40 on "Our Town", I don't know what to tell you.

I saw this label/collective released Yikes The Zero's new album and started exploring some of their other stuff...a lot of it sounds pretty good to me. I feel like a lot of lo-fi electronic/beats music that gets hyped up is interesting texturally but boring melodically, and on the flipside of that, some under the radar stuff has good melodies but beatswise gets repetitive and cookie cutter...but stuff on this label manages to find the best of both worlds from what I've heard. I haven't listened to it all, but I have given this instrumental release from N.O.M.A.D. a few spins and I think its nice:

https://extralovelyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/yawning

You probably already know since he posts here sometimes, but I was running errands today and relistened to Gigantic Vol. 1 and love the tracks with Blueprint and Elucid, also the drums/texture on Barefoot Gorilla Baboon Funk when those heavier drums come in. guy has an overwhelming number of beat tapes, but theyre all dope:

https://smallprofessor.bandcamp.com/

at Johnny Brenda's

http://www.johnnybrendas.com/event/1389500-square-peg-round-hole-ian-philadelphia/

haven't bought a ticket yet but tenatively planning to go, I saw Grimace once at KFN but it was upstairs and the sound wasn't so great, and then missed their opening set for Aesop Rock at Union Transfer, so I'm pumped to see both them and SPRH.

is kind of mindblowing

This is dope!

https://andrealtrez.bandcamp.com/

and Open Mike Eagle among others...I wanted to make a small donation to the ACLU anyway, so why not.

Download it here: https://idolsandenemies.com/

This is the protest album I was waiting for someone to make

https://3crates.bandcamp.com/album/gods

His latest Ep that he just dropped on the 23rd.
https://m.soundcloud.com/grandemarshallmusic/sets/riskreward-ep

Dude reminds me of a Reasonable Doubt Era Jay. Imo he's the best braggadocio rapper ATM.

Saw on wxpn they have a release party tonight, and started listening...First song "Head" reminded me of Beach House, but once that walking bassline came in at 1:41 on "Krime" i was pretty sold on this being dope. you can get their album plus two EPs on bandcamp for only 60 cents right now:

http://geishafacade.bandcamp.com

i don't know some of these myself, always like new local acts

my submission is my man Zilla Rocca, with whom i has an album with coming out soon. south philly rap cat who sounds equally at home over wu-tang soundin shit as he does electronic-leaning backdrops, he has a great sense of rap writing in terms of individual punchlines & verses/songs as a whole. has shit w/ roc marci, gucci suede, open mike eagle, the aforementioned has-lo, and more

i'd start here: http://threedollarpistol.com/album/neo-noir-mixtape on some start-you-off mixtape shit but that "no vacation for murder" is dope as well as "party with villains" ep

new Lushlife album i posted above, throwing the Neo-Noir mixtape on the ipod now!

>i don't know some of these myself, always like new local
>acts
>
>my submission is my man Zilla Rocca, with whom i has an album
>with coming out soon. south philly rap cat who sounds equally
>at home over wu-tang soundin shit as he does
>electronic-leaning backdrops, he has a great sense of rap
>writing in terms of individual punchlines & verses/songs as a
>whole. has shit w/ roc marci, gucci suede, open mike eagle,
>the aforementioned has-lo, and more
>
>i'd start here:
>http://threedollarpistol.com/album/neo-noir-mixtape on some
>start-you-off mixtape shit but that "no vacation for murder"
>is dope as well as "party with villains" ep
>
>

Most of us first know him from doing the hook to The Roots "Guns Are Drawn", but he's also released two very dope releases, one with RJD2 as Icebird and the self titled album as Son Little. Saw him play for free a while back at one of those free Penn's Landing concerts...good stuff.

https://sonlittle.bandcamp.com/

http://themean.net

You can stream both their albums for free on there, and they're also on Spotify.

He has a lot of music, but to be honest nothing I ever heard really had me hooked other than "New World In My View"

But, I was looking at the Hyperdub artists on bandcamp, and saw he has an alias on Hyperdub as Fhloston Paradigm. Good music to work to, I listened to pretty much all the releases on his bandcamp at work the other day:

http://fhlostonparadigm.bandcamp.com

very dope boom bap/everyman/battle kind of rapper who did a bunch of songs with Snowgoons, passed away a few years ago.

Love this track "Dizzy Dreams": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paziNwMNZZQ

"Starlight"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcsmzVfF1jo

Listening to this on Spotify now, first two tracks are real dope:

https://ivysole.bandcamp.com/album/east
http://thekey.xpn.org/2017/02/08/ivy-sole-east-ep/

Capricorn Rising

https://capricornrising.bandcamp.com/releases

just starting to listen to this now, but i already know it'll be dope - chrisAre always has dope dusty boom bap stuff, and i like buddy leezle

I talked to him randomly at the November Smth Savant event thinking he was just some guy who helped organize it, turned out I had already listened to him do guest verses on Yikes The Zero stuff. He has a bunch of new-ish beat tapes i've thrown front to back, but I also dig him as a rapper. good stuff:

https://distantstarr.bandcamp.com/

i know he does a ton of things in the philly scene but I mostly know him as a producer who made this dope project on Dalek's label deadverse, "Southwest Psychadelphia", really cool instrumental project:

https://deadverse.bandcamp.com/album/southwest-psychedelphia

this guy does absurdist/oddball rap, but makes it his own. he has a zillion albums and he's also in a group with ialive as "the hell hole store". ive given both hell hole store albums a good number of spins. his 'watered down demon fuzz' album is pretty dope:

https://udontdeservethisbeautifulart.bandcamp.com/album/watered-down-demon-fuzz

i've been playing keys in this band for 6+ months. i wasn't around for the recording of their new album, but i think its quite good:

https://themorelings.bandcamp.com/album/same-century

I caught her doing a loop pedal cover songs set by city hall this past summer and it was insanely dope. here's a vid of her doing a live loop thing covering Beyonce:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RAzesHPwTU

some dope stuff on here:

https://heyjoshhey.bandcamp.com/album/beat-hotel

http://www.hardworkmovementmusic.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SterlingDunsMusic/

i really dig the self titled EP from back in April:

https://manikineter.bandcamp.com/album/mannequin-eater

Is Crisco still on this site? He's familiar with all of the Philly hip-hop artists.

just listened to this track like 5 times:

https://smthsavant.bandcamp.com/track/kilamanzego-bounce-at-the-dinner-party

He dropped a duo project with Swarvy (also originally from Philly) called DUE RENT last year: http://smarturl.it/duerent

Has his solo album, lofeye, coming soon on the Youngbloods label

One of my favorite rappers out right now

Fresh Selects label: http://freshselects.bandcamp.com | http://soundcloud.com/freshselects
Tight Songs playlist (Spotify & Apple Music): http://smarturl.it/tightsongs

...so damn good

his shit with Mogillah (also used to rep Philly) is dope af.

instant fan from checking out this EP:
https://campcandle.bandcamp.com/album/light

Twizzmatic:

dope producer/rapper

https://thetreehousecoalition.bandcamp.com/

Sudo Williams:

love his new single "Caterpillar Motion"
https://soundcloud.com/xfctr/caterpillar-motion-1

Kahlil Ali: more indie/alt sounding like a mid 2000's RSE artist maybe, has a release show for his new album this weekend, really feeling everything I heard so far: https://djttyl.bandcamp.com/releases

gotta check your other mentioned's

I LOVE this record - came out in 2018 on Ropeadope Records. Hope you check it out...

https://illdoots.bandcamp.com/album/ill-doots-2