Beyond the Beats, Behind the Mic
WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY Hala Idrees
Philadelphia artists are meticulous with their outfits and love to get dressed just as much as they love to create music. Being an artist is so much more than your brand; your art is a reflection of yourself, the people around you, and the experiences that shaped it all. Below are four strong-spirited and passionate Philadelphia artists who take pride in how they present themselves and their music. Let’s pass the mic.
YungJru – Age 24
The story behind the name: So, this is a funny story all my friends know. I used to play basketball from elementary school to college. In middle school, everyone thought I looked like Jrue Holiday, and my coaches used to call me Jrue, so I just took Jru from that without the E. My real name is Chandler, though, like from the show Friends.
The story behind the mic: I recorded my first song at 19 but started going to the studio consistently at 20. I was inspired by my brother. I’ve been watching him make music and write lyrics and poetry since he was in high school. I would hang out and be messing around as he would be freestyling. In 2021, I got a setup in my house that allowed me to really get my bad songs out of the way and go in the direction I was meant to go. What really helped me improve was making this friend group that motivates me and drives me to try harder. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes its therapy depending on what I’m going through. My inspiration mainstream wise only comes from select artists like Yung Thug & Future. Locally, I find a lot more in artists like bear1boss and Skate Star, but especially from my own friends Rodie Senpai, Eli616, and Sprout Dharma.
My favorite song I’ve done is Kooler because that was when I was getting more comfortable with the way I use my voice.
The story behind the support: I met all my friends through mutual connections and through studio sessions. My friend Eli really showed me what it’s like to be an artist; he always showed up, recorded, acted like nobody was in the room, and was his true authentic self. It’s really the shows, going to events, and supporting your friends that allow you to meet people and make connections. Even if you’re not good at networking like me, showing out can help you develop connections you won’t otherwise make. It showed me that people aren’t afraid to express themselves and their art here.
I’m originally from New Jersey where there’s more pressure to assimilate instead of standing out. People tend to go for trends instead of dressing and making music of their own sound. Meeting people like Seb, Rodie, and Eli really helped me break out of my own shell and out of that habit. My friends were the ones who would force me to record even when I didn’t have the confidence yet to be, especially during studio sessions where time is everything. Having a support group with such high drive really helped me get out of my shell.
The story behind the style: I’m still getting more creative with how I dress, but my style influence comes a lot from my own friends. My friend Guap who makes our jeans (@cherub.coterie), Ronnie’s Rebellious hats, sweatsuits, etc. Makes me more confident if I’m all dressed up artistically, because I want to look like an artist. I like supporting local fashion brands, people that also have started from the ground up. I started off in a lot of sweatsuits; I’ve always been dressed in comfortable clothing like athleisure. But once I started hanging around and seeing how nobody is playing with the way that they dress, I started being more expressive. If you’re the only person not trying, that can also make you stand out. All my jeans are what make me stand out the most; they’re my friends, and that makes me feel the best. I like incorporating dress-up clothes into my normal everyday wear, like Converses, dress pants, and my rebellious (friends’ brand) hoodie. For some reason, I loved that fit because I felt most like myself. I like juxtaposition and mixing things up.
Rodie Senpai – Age 23
The story behind the name: Rodie is a childhood name that started out as a family nickname. The story is my grandma used to ride me around in my stroller around the block, and people would say I’m her little roadie. Senpai comes from me liking anime, Lufey Senpai is my favorite anime character ever. He reminds me of me so much; he just wants to save the world. My real name is Joshua. My first stage name was Josh.215, which is just my name & zip.
The story behind the mic: I started pursuing it when I was around 19/20. What made me pursue it is the fact that I might actually be able to do it. Random people not even close to me have always given me motivation. Making music has always been a thing for me, though; I would hook up my karaoke mic to any computer and record on GarageBand. I’m up & down with the things I make. I try to categorize it into different sections, but it’s super hard. It’s the fans commenting, liking, and letting me know what to drop that tells me what they want that helps. I do drop whatever I want and post snippets constantly.
Most of my favorite songs are the ones I record and are the personal ones that people will never hear, where it’s just me talking in my feelings. My homies motivate me to drop the songs I’m not really sure about. When I began, my inspiration came from Trippie Red, Kodie Shane, and Young Thug. Locally, my friends Yung Jru, how he works and is getting better in front of my eyes; Bear1Boss, his energy and how he brings everything to record; and Jah$tar, who showed me how to make beats. Even though we all met through music, we can still kick it.
My favorite song I’ve done is Change My Number because that song was recorded on a great day with great vibes.
The story behind the support: I don’t know if I exactly feel connected; I’m just being myself. A lot of people are fake, especially when it comes to Instagram and being in a scene. Everybody wants clout, everybody wants to act like they know everyone, and I don’t really want to connect to that specifically. I’d rather just make my music and not connect myself to a scene. I have met so many people I appreciate meeting that I would call very dear to me. Some are just fans, honestly; some are just people I might see at a party that’ll walk up to me and say, “Bro, I love your music so much, bro. It does so much for me”. I love my fans for real. And my friends, artists, some of the producers shoutout Cory, shoutout to Zoku, shoutout Sebastian Shah. They’re real creators. I gave myself the energy, and so far, I attract that back. Most people have been super helpful.
The story behind the style: I like a lot of colors. I wear a lot of local brands, so I don’t really talk about Gucci or Amiri; we wear a lot of cherub. Coterie, and a shoutout to Mir; he made a lot of my jeans. I also thrift a lot of my clothes. My brother showed a lot when it came to not caring about what you’re wearing, like he would wear my mom’s clothes and look so fly doing it.
Eli616 – Age 23
The story behind the name: Elijah is my middle name, so I shortened it to Eli, and 616 is my birthday. 616 basically means that you can achieve whatever you want, so that’s my message. My real name is Isaiah.
The story behind the mic: I was pursuing music starting in high school, but I didn’t take it seriously till 2019 when I was 19. I always had a love for music from a young age; I come from a family of drummers, guitarists, and singers. What really started it off was we had this super crazy rap battle in high school. My friend Yasin told him I could cook anyone, and I did something you’re never supposed to do in a coin toss, which is go first; you always let the other person go first. This guy cooked me. I wasn’t going to accept that, so I read the whole dictionary twice and studied music. I came back the next year and cooked everybody in the school. I used to be in the lunchroom reading the dictionary.
Some turning points for me were DemiGod dropping, but SciFi Rage is when I locked in and found my voice. I was really inspired by Michael Jackson, X, heavy metal rock, James Brown, I would see how they perform their music, and admired it. Nobody in the city can mess with how I perform. I’m a firm believer that I’m the best performer on the East Coast. I speak to the crowd; I make sure they get their money’s worth. I’m just very comfortable in being myself. I use a lot of vocal inflections; I feel like I mix and create genres a lot. That’s how I do what I do: be more me on the track as much as possible. I never write, I hear the beat and I have a conversation. I never really know what I’m going to say till it’s done. I have a lot of vocal selections; my style is very versatile. I can make some super turnt up sounds, and then switch to melodic. I draw a lot of inspiration from James Brown, Yung Thug, Uzi, Rodie, Yung Jru, Sprout Dharma, Kami, Glock40, Bear1Boss, and Certified Trapper.
My favorite song out right now would have to be Brunch or Dinner.
The story behind the support: I care for genuine connection, like my kin. The people I surround myself with every day, the people I hang out with, and the 616ers, my supporters. Anyone who puts energy into supporting me. Hip Hop is a sport to me; it’s very competitive. It makes me want to do better and try harder. There are scenes in Atlanta and Georgia that I want to bring here. People that are genuine will be there for you, support you, tell you what you’re doing wrong. Most people will just say it’s fine and move on, but the people that care about you will keep it genuine.
The story behind the style: I don’t really think about what I’m wearing. I just put on what I feel like wearing. My clothes end up matching my music, and my music matches my clothes. My shoes are Margiella, but these other pieces I’m wearing are thrifted. I’ve always loved designer shoes. We all wear coterie; Guap makes clothes that are accustomed to us, our build, and our personality. Same with Ronny, Til Death, I love how serious they take it and how far they’ve came. When I was younger, I begged my mom to buy me Abercrombie, but I put it on and said, “Yo, I feel like everyone else.” I started looking more into fashion, and stepped more into my swag and wore whatever I wanted. I’ll dress depending on how I feel that day. When I don’t want to be seen, I’m wearing a hat or a scarf; I’m always wearing my skin. I’m always trying to up my outfits from yesterday.
Sebastian Shah– Age 18
The story behind the name: Sebastian Shah felt the most like me, and as a producer, having a stage name feels redundant.
The story behind the board: I grew up playing the cello because my mom is a classical musician, and she made me do it. I started pursuing music production at thirteen when I took a course on it in school. We had one assignment, but I kept going after it because it was something fun I could do instead of playing video games. I spent a lot of time doing it alone by myself with no one around and liking it. If you don’t like it, you’re not going to get good at it. I learned the most through collaborating with other people. Everyone I’ve met has been local. The first time I felt like I was collaborating and growing as a producer was when I was working on an album with Eli when I was 15. The next biggest shift was when I started working with Matt (Matt Ox). I met him in late 2022, and by March, I had a full project I executively produced for him. In September, I ended up being featured on a Drake record, and although that shifted me career-wise, artistically, I felt overwhelmed.
I stay connected by going to events, staying aware of who’s doing cool things, always finding new people to work with locally. I can’t really describe what I do, but a lot of people say I have a unique sound, and that’s always my goal. I don’t see a point in creating if you’re not going to create something original and exciting, at least. I always make what makes me feel good, and honest to myself. Anytime I stray away from that, whether by accident or on purpose, it makes me feel bad in the world. I was inspired locally by Manny Laurenko, BNYX, Noise of Cory, Trini Viv, and Larry the Lobster.
The song I’m most thankful for is IDGAF in Drake’s new album, but artistically definitely State 2 State Plate after Plate by RXKnephew.
The story behind the support: I started pursuing music with my friend Mateo when I was fourteen and then I met my friend Sprout online, and we started making music. Sprout released a song that I produced, and then I met this kid Tony, and we made a whole album over the course of three months. Once that came out, I found Eli’s music, and I DMed him on Instagram. He made me pay him to do a song with him, and I never will let him live that down. I met Rodie at a rave, and we ended up going to a show Tony organized six months later, where I met Jru. Philly is a small place. Anything cool I’ve done has been through Philly. Matts from Philly, Rodie’s from Philly, everyone is from Philly. Philly has a specific vibe that invites hard-working people, and that’s why I like to stay local. The people I surround myself with are friendly. Everyone’s going to pretend to have your best interest, especially if you offer them something like status or clout. It’s hard to find trustworthy people in Philly; it’s cutthroat.
The story behind the style: Recently, the more confident I am, the better music I make, so I’ve been making more of an effort. I like to be comfortable, most of my creating is done in pajamas. I want to support local fashion brands more. I dress pretty simply compared to other artists, but I wear what makes me comfortable. I wear a lot of Carhartt and like to thrift. My recent favorite has been a Batman sweatshirt from the women’s section at Goodwill. I dress in what makes me feel like me. I don’t really follow trends and don’t care for them. I’ve always been the music guy. I like black cargos.