pHoenix Pagliacci

11/14/16 - You might have heard of Toronto rappers Keysha Freshh, Lex Leosis, Haviah Mighty and Phoenix Pagliacci (The Sorority) eight months back in the first all female TeamBackPack cypher that dropped on International Women’s Day.

They have come together again, now known as The Sorority for their track “Undun” and they dropped the visuals for it a week ago. Once again, all of them come correct in this video; filmed at Kops Records downtown Toronto, a record store known for having the most experienced and oldest vinyls–including old school hip-hop. The four of them pay homage to a lot of the greats; including Wu-Tang Clan, A Tribe Called Quest, Big Pun, Tupac, Ice Cube, Lauryn Hill, Prince, Whitney, Eminem, Biggie Smalls, Eazy E and J-Dilla plus more.

Keysha raps about how before trap music it was about the boom bap and if you didn’t come correct correct with the bars, you were whack. Lex spits about how she wishes Phife from ATCQ was still alive and how phony rappers only live a lie, while she can never stop rapping due to her old school influences and inspirations. Haviah reminisces on the greats and how we learn from them in today’s world, giving props to the legends, and Phoenix states that legends never die because their music lives on forever, and when she passes there’s no need to cry because she too will be with the greatest and people will be listening to her music too.

Overall, they each spit about the legends in their own authentic way, allowing the track to come together perfectly with all of their vibes syncing as one. As always, the chemistry with these four is consistently dope. - Omit Limitation

11/04/16 - Bringing together a jam-packed foursome of fresh voices in Canadian hip-hop, Keysha Freshh, Lex Leosis, Haviah Mighty and pHoenix Pagliacci are unleashing a new track called "Undun," and Exclaim! is giving you the first look at the accompanying video.

The group previously delivered a four-part cypher back in March in conjunction with International Women's Day, and now they've reteamed for "Undun." The track gives each of the four rappers a chance to pay homage to hip-hop greats who influenced their own style, and the video captures them roaming through the aisles of Toronto record store Kops picking up and shouting out their favourite LPs — a fitting tribute considering November marks International Hip-Hop History Month.

"I met all three of them the day the cypher was shot! But when we got together, our dynamic reminded me of beat matching in the DJ world — we just synced," Haviah Mighty tells Exclaim!, reminiscing about the International Women's Day collab. "There was literally nothing different about 'Undun' except this time, we had an idea, a concept. From there, the song just manifested. Very easily."

To to this, pHoenix Pagliacci had this to say:

After the cypher, we were all shocked and humbled to see the response. It was literally worldwide, literally millions of people watching us do what we love to do and actually liking it. While this brought us together as a group, as individuals we all went through our own struggles. [Producer and beatmaker] Little Sister decided that she was going to quit music and honestly, a part of us died. We really felt that all the momentum we had built up as a group would be challenged or even stopped. But then, almost as a parting gift, Little Sister hit our inbox with the most necessary heat. And immediately, we knew what had to be done and how. "Undun" is like a tribute song to Little Sister, but also a promise to ourselves. It's the perfect parting gift, and we're grateful to her for it. - Exclaim!

03/24/16 - Bar after bar and of course slick wordplay that is undeniable to the ear. - Purple Bars

03/26/16 - With her latest album Ars Amatoria, released back in February, she’s delivered one of the best records of the year. - Silent Shout

03/08/16 - Have you ever heard someone rap so good you had to close your eyes and ask Our Lord Saviour what you did to deserve this? Well in honour of International Women's Day, Team Backpack has put together just that in a cypher featuring some of Toronto's most promising upcoming rappers. And the results are incredible. - Noisey Vice

03/08/16 - All eyes are on Toronto right now, but it seems like dudes get most of the rap shine, despite women being integral to the city's hip-hop history. To counter that perception, Team Backpack rounded up four rising Toronto rappers for a cypher timed to International Women's Day.

In the video above, Keysha Freshh, Lex Leosis, Haviah Mighty and pHoenix Pagliacci gather around a mic, bigging each other up and rapping over a blistering loop by Little Sister (a semi-finalist in last year's Battle of the Beatmakers competition). They get fun with it, referencing this crucial scene from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and taking light swipes at their male peers while also touching on crucial feminist issues like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's gender-balanced cabinet and the death of Sandra Bland. "Who said the 6 god couldn't be a woman in some high-tops?" Word. - FADER

01/27/15 - A stellar line-up of solid hip-hop emcees. All female, and no, Nicki nor Iggy weren’t on the bill. With Jamla Record’s Rapsody headlining, Toronto femcees rounded out a night of beats, rhymes and strong, woman power: Jelly Too Fly, Adria Kain, Keysha Freshh and Phoenix Pagliacci. Photographer Fitzroy Facey was on hand to capture the night’s most candid moments. - Urbanology

08/16/13 - Congratulations to 24 year old Toronto singer/songwriter pHoenix Pagliacci on winning the 2013 Honey Jam showcase.

Honey Jam is an all female multicultural multi-genre artist showcase produced by phemphat entertainment group, a non-profit organization that supports and promotes women in the arts.

As the grand prize winner of Honey Jam 2013, pHoenix will receive the Honey Jam Hookup Prize Pak including $5000 in equipment courtesy of Yamaha Canada Music.

We are very proud of the female artists who participated in the Honey Jam this year. It is an honor to support them in their careers, and we wish them all the best! - Yamaha

12/11 - Combining some of the best features of the female emcees who came before her, Toronto’s Phoenix Pagliacci delivers her debut album, Books, Bucks, Beats. - BadPerm.com

11/28/11 - I’ve had this song in constant rotation since the album came out. Illusion of Grandeur is a perfect example how witty a lyricist pHoenix is. The beat, the way she raps and sings on it makes me hype! I’ve been known to drive around blasting this song! - Lady Vee - The LV Lair

09/29/11 - Interview with pHoenix Pagliacci and the First Look Cypher participants.. - TBDTS

03/01/11 - Featured Artist - The Continuist

Urbanology Magazine breaks down the Album & Release Party. - Urbanology Magazine

Mordi the intern from XXL Magazine gives his take on "Books, Bucks & Beats". - The Come Up Radio

First single on The Come Up Radio - Mordi

First single on The Come Up Radio - Mordi

03/10/16 - Hosted by Simone Osondu, this series of interviews goes inside the mind of 4 of the GTA's hottest young females in the industry.

Phoenix Pagliacci (born Rian Hamilton) is a singer-songwriter from Toronto, Canada. Growing up to the sounds of Motown, Soul, Blues, Jazz and Gospel, Phoenix's introduction to Hip-Hop came in the form of 90's sensations such as Bad Boy Family, Wutang and Roc-A-Fella Records.

In 2013, Phoenix was a participant in the Honey Jam showcase, an opportunity from which she would walk away with over $5000 in studio equipment, encouraging her furtherance in singing and songwriting, and prompting her foray into production. - 40oz Heroes

03/08/16 - Watch interviews with each rapper here: http://bit.ly/1MFjVPd
In honour of #IWD2016, here are some of Toronto’s finest women to touch the mic in one cypher. Shout out to all the mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, and cousins… we love you.

In a selection process consisting of the finest female rappers in the T Dot, 40oz Heroes helped produce the second official Canadian Teambackpack cypher hosted at The Post Office Sound Studio in the heart of Liberty Village. - TeamBackPack