Mixtape Review: Philly Phil – Wasn’t Born Wit It
DOWNLOAD: Philly Phil – Wasn’t Born Wit It Mixtape*
Philly Phil “Tear Mines Off“
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Phillly Phil “The Have-Nots“
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In a time when ex-corrections officer Rick Ross can find both commercial success and critical respect posing as a drug kingpin, being “real” has never seemed to matter less. But trust that it still does, or at least it can. While many of his peers are out trying (but failing) to out-do Officer Ross in grandiose displays of gross decadence, Philly Phil stands out by staying down to earth with nose-to-the-grind rapping.
It’s clear from the jump that Philly can rap his ass off. The opener to his Wasn’t Born Wit It mixtape, “Tear Mines Off,” finds him kicking an impressive double-time flow over frantic strings, pulsating bass, and “A Milli”-esque drum programming. Despite the numerous switch-ups, Phil’s able to flow smoothly with good timing and a crisp, confident delivery. This delivery is a constant throughout the mixtape and while it won’t necessarily blow your mind all the time, it’s satisfying enough to make even his weakest verses palatable (e.g. “Senorita”).
What gives this technical rapping skill any real meat to it is Phil’s world-weary wisdom and down-to-earth attitude. Individuality is very much ingrained into the fabric of hip-hop. Somehow, Phil manages not to be this arrogant, self-absorbed asshole. Just the opposite, really. “Need Luv” starts out as a typical shot towards his haters. But after the first verse, it breaks down into humble self-reflection on where he’s at and what he still wants to accomplish, the perfect complement to the sparse piano track. And then it morphs again into a sincere prayer that he and his haters can all go back to a more innocent time before “learning the rules of the game” when they were all childhood friends. It’s an affecting song where Phil shows some empathy even for those that would bring him down.
This is taken to further extreme on “The Have-Nots,” the finale and faraway highlight of the mixtape. Over cheap Casio keys that sound like Asian karaoke versions of Christmas songs–and somehow still sound extremely, effectively sad and somber–Philly Phil takes aim at the police. But this isn’t some mindless “Fuck Tha Police” re-hash. Phil consciously speaks on behalf of the whole ghetto, “The Have-Nots,” and the criticisms lodged at the police are done so in the context of easing their pain. But then even the police get a little sympathy–straight blasphemy in hip-hop–when Phil spits “I ain’t against you cops, I’m saying keep the peace/ Stop the ‘guilty till proven innocent’ system please.” He’s careful to strike down injustice without demonizing the police. Which only speaks even more to his ability to humanize and feel for others, even his enemies.
Wasn’t Born Wit It makes a few mis-steps (“Just Wanna Tell You,” “Mo’ Lyrical Content,” “Senorita”) but they are forgiven by the consistently strong production, skills, and Philly Phil’s ability to feel for others. Paradoxically, with this sense of empathy, Phil could probably even see through the smoke screens at the real man in the Rick Ross mask. Hopefully, he can also penetrate the fakes around him and bring them back to the ground.
*Not to be confused with the Wasn’t Born Wit It album, which is strangely a completely different project altogether. I’ll check it out soon.
Reading be fun though:
