Philly B

Independent Artist and Co-CEO of 4th Branch Records “Philly B” has made a huge splash recently in the industry. From working with platinum super producer Zaytoven on his hit single “Yao Ming”, to his recent collaboration with D12’s Bizarre “I Know Sosa”. To other huge names he has worked with, names like Lil Wyte, and Reed Dollaz and Co- Signs from legendary MC’s like Brotha Lynch and Krayzie Bone. Keep a close eye out for this young MC he’s got alot more in store to close out the year and 2016 is looking to be a huge year for him possibly Freshman of the year potential with the moves he already has sealed in the vault. You can follow Philly B on twitter @PhillyB420 and you can stay updated with him and his fellow label mates DJ Prezzident and Tok5’1 at their www.youtube.com/4thBranchRecords - HipHop Since 1987

Zayledo pays tribute to the Glass City

Toledo Rapper Philly B set to release collaboration with Zaytoven

Cornell Rice (aka Philly B) is proof that the City Paper knows what we’re talking about. In 2012, TCP listed him as an artist to watch. The last several years have taken Philly through life’s ups and downs, and 2017 is already looking like it could be his breakout— he’s releasing his collaboration with the Grammy-winning producer Zaytoven.

Where it all started
In 2009, Philly was a scholarship football player at Western Illinois University. A year later, he transferred to the University of Toledo, intending to play for the Rockets. However, a hand injury took him out of the game and that’s when he decided to switch gears and start taking his other talent seriously.

“I’ve been flowing my whole life”, said Philly. “I started rhyming back in the day, before football, but I didn’t take it serious until I got to Toledo.”

Making moves
In 2013, he moved to Los Angeles, and began making connections and performing for a growing fanbase. He spent about a year out west until life took a dramatic turn.

“My friend’s mom (in Toledo) passed away from cancer, and she’s the one who helped me get to LA in the first place. On top of that, I was expecting my first son here”, said Philly, who now has two children, a son and a daughter, whom he lives with and supports.

Those circumstances brought him back to Toledo, and for a while, it seemed like that might be the end for his music career. In 2014, he got a job working at Chrysler.

“It felt like I had a million dollar opportunity that was chopped up and put in the blender, and that I would be a working man in Toledo for the rest of my life,” he explained.

Enter Zaytoven
As fate would have it, he wound up working at Jeep next to DJ Kaj Boogie of Toledo’s 107.3 WJUC, who saw his potential right away. One thing lead to another and Philly wound up getting the attention of Zaytoven, the Atlanta-based producer responsible for some of the biggest tracks in rap and hip hop. The same producer who works with Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz, Migos, Future and Soulja Boy invited him to an underground rap battle in Detroit, and then wound up giving him a track of his own to work with.

His first track with Zaytoven, “Yao Ming,” dropped in the summer of 2015. To date, it has about 230,000 hits on YouTube and has earned him a verified twitter account with nearly 20,000 followers (@PhillyB420).

Yao Ming
“Yao Ming” tells a story of the heroin epidemic that has swept the nation in recent years and the glorification of drug problems by mainstream music.

“I felt like I had to embrace what’s around me”, said Philly. “The people who are really down in it don’t want anything to do with glorifying that shit. People don’t want to talk about it, but it’s a problem.”

The visuals in the “Yao Ming” video depict the mind of a child with no hope. “We’re showing what a child goes through being from the ’hood of Toledo,” said Philly. “He has nothing else, so he’s going to do what he has to do to survive. I don’t condone that shit. I want my children to know better.”

Zayledo
Impressed with his tenacity and style, Zaytoven has given him five more tracks to rap on. The forthcoming EP “Zayledo”, pays tribute to the Glass City, where Philly got his start as a rapper.

Much like the single “Yao Ming”, the EP highlights some of the grittiest elements of T-Town with a style and tenacity that, much like Philly himself, is impossible to ignore.

With a three month tour in the works for the spring, look for Philly B to rise in 2017.

Follow Philly B on Twitter: @PhillyB420 - Toledo City Paper

FOR OUR NEXT FINALIST IN OUR ATX CHALLENGE, WE’D LIKE TO SHOWCASE PHILLY B, A RAPPER FROM TOLEDO, OH (AKA THE MUD), WHO’S CURRENTLY RESIDING IN THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE, PHILADELPHIA, PA. LOOKING TO MAKE HIS MARK ON SXSW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER, PHILLY HAS PLANS TO MAKE 2017 EVEN STRONGER THAN HIS 2016.
IN THE LAST YEAR, PHILLY HAS WORKED WITH SOME INDUSTRY HEAVYWEIGHTS INCLUDING ZAYTOVEN, BIZARRE OF D12, AND MORE, AND ALSO HAS RELEASED A SLEW OF NEW CONTENT GARNERING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VIEWS. IN FACT, PHILLY EVEN DIRECTED AND PRODUCED A DOCUMENTARY “THE INDEPENDENT CAMPAIGN” BASED ON HIS 4TH BRANCH RECORDS LABEL.
HE’S NOT JUST ANY ORDINARY ARTIST, IF YOU HAVEN’T FIGURED IT OUT.
FOR 2017, HIS WORK WITH ZAYTOVEN WILL ONLY INCREASE. PHILLY HAS BEEN HARD AT WORK AT HIS NEW EP ZAYLEDO, WHICH WILL BE ENTIRELY PRODUCED BY ZAYTOVEN AND WILL INCLUDE NO FEATURES. THE EP IS SET TO DROP IN MARCH, AND TO MAKE IT AN EVEN STRONGER RELEASE, PHILLY WILL SHOOT A VIDEO FOR EACH OF THE TRACKS ON THERE.
DEEPER THAN THE MUSIC, PHILLY’S A FATHER FIRST AND FOREMOST AND SAYS HIS SON AND DAUGHTER ARE HIS ENTIRE WORLD, AND THE ONLY THING THAT TRULY MATTERS TO HIM. “I GIVE MY ALL WITH EVERYTHING I DO IN HOPES TO GET THEM OUT OF TOLEDO AND GIVE THEM A BETTER LIFE,” PHILLY TELLS US. “I WONT STOP UNTIL I DO SO, AND FAILURE WILL NEVER BE AN OPTION.”
PHILLY USED TO BE A D-1 ATHLETE IN COLLEGE, PLAYING FOOTBALL AND ON A MISSION TO GET HIS DEGREE. WHILE HE ACKNOWLEDGES DROPPING OUT TO PURSUE HIS RAP CAREER MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN HIS SMARTEST MOVE, PHILLY IS BEYOND THANKFUL HE DID SO BECAUSE IT MADE HIM THE MAN HE IS TODAY.
LIFE IS ALL ABOUT CHASING YOUR DREAMS, AND IN ORDER TO MAKE IT IN THIS GRUELING INDUSTRY, SACRIFICE IS A NECESSITY. KUDOS TO PHILLY FOR PURSUING SOMETHING MOST ARE AFRAID TO. - Swisher Sweets

HipHopDX Premiere: Ambitious Toledo, Ohio MC Philly B is quickly making his way towards national notoriety. From working with Grammy Award-winning super producer Zaytoven on his hit single “Yao Ming” and five-track EP, Zayledo, to his recent collaboration with D12’s Bizarre “I Know Sosa,” the 25-year-old rapper is a man on a mission. One of those Zaytoven-produced tracks, “Ima Dawg,” has been privy to a visual treatment courtesy of Shawn Riddle. It finds Philly B rapping his heart out as he puts his city proudly on display.

“I have shot a video for each track on the Zayledo EP and they only get better and better,” Philly tells HipHopDX. “I hope you all at DX are ready for me because I’m going to keep your audience very, very entertained — that is a promise.”

Check out the video above, album art below and cop the EP here. - HipHopDX