Music Matters in the 215

On February 14, national love day; in the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection, our Program director Paris Nicole worked with the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to create our own holiday! Isn’t that LOVE?! February 15th will now be recognised as 215 day! 215 day is a holiday that recognizes the city of Philadelphia and all it’s contributions as the former capital of America. Philadelphia is known for the word “jawn”, traffic on 95, and a good ole Philly cheesesteak. However let’s not forget we have some of the greatest music to come out of the city of Philly! Ranging from all types of genres, Philadelphia has made its mark in the music industry. The music market is so big in Philadelphia, that underground music in Philly is just as big as the mainstream music in America! Some underground music ends up making it mainstream.. ask SimxSantana!

We celebrate 215 day with a playlist of artists old and new with some of the hottest music to ever come out of the city of Philly!!

Fresh Prince A.K.A. Will Smith! How can we not start of with this classic? From the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith made that his Emcee name and came up with this hit with Jazzy Jeff!

 

Now let’s take it back a little bit. Spittin’ since the 80s, Black Thought is arguably one of the most lyrical rappers to ever pick up a pen, so it’s something to say he came from Philly! Lead MC of the Roots, where their music is timeless! Right here is a 10 min freestyle on funk flex just to show y’all he still got it! Plus some other classics..

 

 

 

State Property, one of the hardest hip-hop groups to make music, coming out Philly was big in a time where Philly music was being overlooked in early 2000s when west coast hip hop was the real wave. This group came together and put out some songs that you know you had to run back a couple times!

 

Cassidy, another heavy bar spitter from the north side of Philly, made his mark in the early 2000’s with this hustla mentality, making get money music, he ended up with this hood-hopper

 

Hold up ladies!!! We ain’t forget Eve!! Coming to the scene in the late 90s out of west Philly! With bars like Mc Lyte and Queen but with a voice and swag of her own, Eve came onto the scene and kilt it! After 10 years in the game, when female street rappers started to fade, she switched up the flow and got herself a new sound with this one

 

SimxSantana is without question the rising star of Philadelphia, coming into the game a little over a year ago, It did not take long for the city of Philly to know his name, why? because you had to learn the dance to go with it!

 

Rocky is Philly’s hottest female in the game as we speak. Hitting with hard beats with lyricism that speak to the ladies but the real fellas also relate to. Rocky has found a way to put her IG freestyles on a beat and make it work! Not everybody that raps can make a song but hey… She’s from Philly!

 

PNB Rock, Philly’s own LL. Ladies love PNB with his melodic sound, as he stepped on the scene about ten years ago. He first made a mark with his Philly’s version of song cry, “My city needs something”, since then he’s been a bonafide hit maker!

 

Lil Uzi Vert, A Philly Fan favorite has been around for a decade now. At a time when new rappers were hitting the street like the daily news, most people thought he would be a one hit wonder, but his sound is radio bound and his relativeness is undeniable after going almost a year without dropping any new music! Lil Uzi Vert definitely cemented his name in the new era of hip-hop with these hits.

 

Meek Mill in my opinion is the best artist to ever come from Philadelphia. You could definitely say I am being biased but I took into account every one that’s come before him, and their circumstances faced (as far as legal issue, falling out with group) longevity, consistency, and relevancy. I cannot name one person who has been to jail multiple times in there career (once during the peak of his career you could argue), had a relationship and now current feud with one of the biggest female artist in the game (Nicki Minaj), and went head to head with one of the biggest names in Hip-Hop (Drake) in which some people feel he lost that battle, and still is at the top of the charts and climbing! Not to mention, The intro to his debut album became a triumphant anthem that led the Eagles to a super bowl!!! I remember coming home from middle school and popping in the headshot DVDs and skipping right to Meek Mill battles. I would watch Meek Mill freestyles on YouTube until I fell asleep! To see him come from where he was, to where he is now, I confidently can say in my eyes, he like a modern day Jay-Z. Someone he looks up to, he is following in his footsteps with social justice reform, and he is quick to put people on and sign a young Dreamchaser. Meek Mill has been the epitome of Philly music the day he step foot in the game and here we have some of my favorite battles, freestyles, hood hoopers (classics) and mainstream music!

HAPPY 215 DAY Philly!!