Daily Chiefers Presents: Next To Blow Philadelphia

T$AN

Within the first 10 seconds of hearing Manny Laurenko’s instrumental on the standout single “Cerberus” there are a few things made crystal clear with the quickness: T$AN has a keen ear for indelible production and he knows exactly how to use his unique vocal tone to annihilate a beat of this calibre. The Farewell EP that dropped in February of this year provides 5 more examples on top as a follow up to the full length G6m1ni9 released last August, but it was the cathartic “Moment of Silence” single released in response to the recent passing of Kobe Bryant which solidified that this Philadelphia repper is on a hot streak from deep. Now inked with Columbia Records and armed with an arsenal of new visuals and tracks for his upcoming album TSAN’S WORLD, including the most recently released “Off-It” and the T$AN & FRNDS EP that features Matt Ox, look out for the 3130 and Fourteen37Sound member to go big and maybe even officially give us that leaked Uzi feature for real one day. – Chiefer Adam

Poundside Pop

Poundside Pop is the quintessential Philly phenom on the rise. Not only does the city claim him with an abundance of confidence, but his sound is arrogant in the best way. He’s not scared to express where he’s from, regardless of how vivid the descriptions may get. His breakouts “Off Top” and “Drippin Again” have garnered some major attention from fans as well as the industry. Pop is not just a one trick pony, he has some diverse stylings that fulfill any listener’s auditory needs. It’s only a matter of time before the world knows Poundside Pop, so tap into the wave. – Chiefer Brick

Lil Muk

Most recently we got to hear North Philly rapper Lil Muk dig deep with his introspective and soaring melodies on the heartfelt “Say Goodbye,” but the truth is he’s been dropping head turning tracks for a minute. The raw “Wildin” visual follows Muk through a sordid day in the life while he shifts between skillfully singing on a catchy hook and delivering rapid fire end rhyme cadence that unsurprisingly has run up millions of views. This ability to flex a strong vocal tone, sometimes aided by vocal effects but often times not, also put his most impressive rapping effort “Best For You” on the Worldstar pages late last year. While his standout feature on Bigga Don’s “Traumatized “ is also worth spins from you, perhaps the most overt proof that Lil Muk is next to blow is the full squad acapella that plays out at the end of the aforementioned “Best For You” video that showcases the full ability of his songcraft to stand on its own regardless of the instrumentation behind it. Now inked to RCA Records and hinting at collabs with the likes of Lil Baby, look out for the kid to keep running it up the rest of 2020. – Chiefer Adam

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SimxSantana

While he was already showing strong signs of a breakout path in his future, this month SimxSantana leveled up considerably with the release of his major label debut project Trenches 2 Riches. The 6 track EP not only encompasses some of his strongest tracks yet, but also houses features from the likes of heavyweights Lil Durk, Stunna 4 Vegas and hometown hero Lil Uzi Vert, who delivers the type of verse on the  “Flexin N’ Flashin” remix that makes it one of the  better and more underrated tracks to drop in 2020. Splitting his time between West and South Philly in his former years, Sim’s upbringing in a hip-hop saturated household allowed him to study the greats while lyrically cultivating a topical duality between the community vibrance and violence around him. The 19 year old’s deep, hard hitting vocal delivery naturally pairs well with riding low end bass beats, but it is really his versatility in turning cadences on a dime that make him built for the long haul. Now in a new deal with Columbia Records and getting looks like Hot 97’s Who’s Next at New York City’s legendary venue SOB’s, Sim is poised to launch into the national conversation this year. – Chiefer Adam

Bry Greatah

You cannot have this list without Philly standout Bry Greatah. Bry Greatah hopped on the map at age 14 with his breakout hit “Fear None” in 2017 and has continued to make giant strides towards stardom to this day. Over the years he has strung together a series of certified bangers with his choppy yet melodic flow that cuts deep over a variety of instrumentals. This last year Bry put his hard work and progress on full display with his highly anticipated project I Am A Ticket. With this momentum we are excited to see where the young star goes this year. – Chiefer Jacob

H2O Hadd

Hadd is a different animal. Blowing up off of the emphatic single “Back Then,” it seems as if this kid is already well on his way to stardom. With such a small amount of music out for public consumption, it’s quite impressive he has this type of notoriety thus far. Hadd possesses a smooth voice that is quite easy to digest and has penned some truly memorable choruses. Time will only tell how this guy develops, but we think he’s gonna run it for a minute.  – Chiefer Brick

Rich Rick

Rich Rick caught my attention a few years back with the release of his single “Gucci Snake.” Now to see how he’s refined his sound and refreshed his work, Rick is paving the road for a career of longevity. With recent releases like “Opps” and “Swish” with Miles Chancellor and Benyeji, Rick has gifted his listeners a potent batch of gas to rock with. Whether he’s making his own beats, or choosing another source of percussion, I have the utmost faith in this guy’s talents. Rich Rick is the future, watch what he does next.  – Chiefer Brick

Miles Chancellor

The west Philly native Miles Chancellor has been making a name for himself through his consistent display of catchy tracks. His long resume of projects cannot be overlooked and the powerful melodies that they consist of. Chancellor has been active in the new year with the release of three new singles. In “SCARED $$$!” The rising artist experiments with his flow over a NoiseofCory beat for a laid back hit with instant replayability. He continues this vibe on his next track “MASK!” and then collaborates with his friends Benyeji and Richrick to switch up the flow on an energetic track titled “Swish.” – Chiefer Jacob

Ox Flacko

Fresh off his brand new EP AMAZINGWORLDOFFLACKO, Ox Flacko has set the bar high for his future as an artist. He’s still expected to continue releasing music with OX affiliates Matt Ox and Zeus Ox, however, it’s even more clear now just how capable he is solo. Ox Flacko is another great example of Philly’s trademark grit, along with his other OX homies. Though most of his EP produced by PIC6SSO, there were appearances from Yung Icey and Tomandi. Let’s hope that we get to hear more fire soon from this young gun and his talented surrounding of producers and artists. – Chiefer Mike

Lilhead 

One of the youngest on this list at age 15, Lil Head made a name for himself in 2019 by releasing straight fire. He set the tempo with his catchy single “Glo Up” and then officially turned heads with his stand out track “Day 1’s.” Lil Head continued to make waves in the Philly scene and began collaborating more closely with Philly standout Wyo Chi. We are excited to see what is next from these two in the new year. Lil Head embodies the gritty energy of growing up in Philly with an infectious flow that resonates deep for the listener throughout each track. – Chiefer Jacob

Wyo Chi

Fittingly for the purposes of making our case, Wyo Chi’s most recent release “Next Up” makes a strong argument for the young Philly rapper being just that. Yet this is only a continuation of the strong statements he made early on with standout remix tracks for “No Effort” and “The Race” before following it up with his own original project Freshman that included a feature from YBNAlmightyJay on “Frozen.” Also around that time his single “Shine” broke out, but a lot has changed from then to now, including a clear maturation in his vocal tone and overall songs crafting skill set. Prior to quarantine, the “Wyo Chi and Friends” vlog series on YouTube was running up numbers as it followed him through the city and beyond to places like Rolling Loud in Miami and the Dominican Republic to shoot his video for “Drip Sauce.” We hope to see those return, and with no label in place just yet, Wyo has personally told us that we can expect another single in the coming weeks that we can look forward to. – Chiefer Adam

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Leaf Ward

Leaf Ward is an artist that aims to put the city on his back in every track. He speaks on personal stories and trials growing up in West Philadelphia in a melodic format that makes you not only hear but feel what he is preaching. Leaf Ward has been one of the most active on this list over the past two years and really stepped up his game in 2019 releasing four projects. Ward picked up right where he left off in the new year with his release of On My Own 2, with standout track “They Forgot 3.” We can only imagine what stories Ward will share with us with his music in the months to come. – Chiefer Jacob

Yak Yola

One major fundamental element of Philadelphia rap is the gritty energy that comes along with it. Yak Yola is a perfect embodiment of that quality, with all of his content (whether audio or visual) reflecting it. When listeners get to see the menacing look on Yola’s face as he raps his equally menacing lyrics, it sheds light on just how real the shit he’s saying is. He’s authentic, energetic, and tends to make banger after banger. Without a doubt, Yak Yola has earned his spot on this list. – Chiefer Mike

RecoHavoc

RecoHavoc is another artist on the rise with an unwavering work ethic. He’s dropped seven videos in the past three months, showing and proving why he needs to be a part of this conversation. Yeah, there are a lot of artists who drop in a sporadic fashion, but the quality often lacks after a while. Reco has gifted us with cuts like “Warm Up,” “No Relaxing,” and “Zero Dark 60,” but his catalog is much deeper than these recent releases. He’s been working on his sound for the past three years and the time has come for the planet to recognize his talents. Electric energy, with eccentric cadences and confidence that never dwindles, that’s who RecoHavoc is. – Chiefer Brick

J Dlux

Philly’s trap music scene is cutting edge, often having emerging flows and sounds that are slightly different than what’s trendy. J Dlux is a Philly rapper pushing the limits of his own sound and that around him. His vibe is one that should have no problem resonating within Philly and beyond. As he’s gradually improved his presence across platforms, he scored an exclusive video drop on No Jumper for his song “Red Dead Redemption.” Along with other heaters like “9300” and “Stickman,” “Read Dead Redemption” is a telling interpretation of the Philadelphia artist. He’s been planting seeds that are sure to sprout into success, it’s only a matter of time. – Chiefer Mike

Zeus Ox

Another standout in the Philly circuit is Zeus Ox. His collaborations with fellow OX members Matt Ox and Ox Flacko have garnered millions of streams across multiple platforms. After a collection of standout SoundCloud singles and Elevator exclusives, it’s apparent that this rapper has got something special about his sound. Some of his most popular tracks include “Hop Scotch” and “Enemies,” both energy-fueled bangers that are bound to make the room shake at performances. With a notably talented group of contemporaries surrounding him, Zeus Ox is in the perfect position to demonstrate his ear catching rap ability. – Chiefer Mike

Yxng K.A

North Philadelphia’s Yxng K.A started rapping just last year, yet the 19 year old caught the attention of the city’s greats like Meek Mill and also the ear of A&Rs at Interscope Records quickly. Now signed off the strength of the breakout track “Forever Committed,” the moves since demonstrate an affinity for running up numbers on follow ups like “Soul Bleed,” plus “Whole Team” and “Uh Huh” with Philly affiliate ZahSosaa. More recently he teamed up with super producer Jetsonmade last month to release “Anotha One” before dropping “It Is What It Is” with a Wordstar premiere just a few days ago. This consistent flow of standout singles builds upon the upcoming Baby Reaper mixtape dropping on May 15th, and bodes well for the young artist from Abbotsford Homes that kick started his career off a bet and is cashing in heavily on his newfound talent. – Chiefer Adam

Lil Buckss

Lil Buckss is like Supreme. If you don’t know about it you don’t know about it but if you know about it you love it and cannot get enough. The rising rapper has a limited collection with only one track on his Soundcloud account. However, Bucks has put out a catalogue of hits with artists like 1Mere, King Lord, 100Deek and others. Buckss has established his presence on Youtube by backing up his menacing flows with energetic visuals that drive the message home that the young rapper is not to be stepped on in the years to come. His standout tracks last year consisted of his collaborations with 1Mere on his hits “Spinnin” and “Spinnin 2” and are definitely worth the watch if you have the 5 minutes to spare. Regardless, we are excited to see how Buckss develops in 2020. – Chiefer Jacob

2 Rare

2 Rare already has a smash on his hands with the cut “Big Drippa” which has the potential to even amass more streams. To be able to curate such a powerful hit at a young age is wild to even conceive. But maybe that’s what makes the youth great, they’re able to tap into what the kids want and what they’ll gravitate to. This guy is animated in his visuals, making for a light, entertaining ride throughout. Yet again, this is another example of a young artist with such a small catalog already gaining success. We won’t question his formula and stifle the sauce, just know 2 Rare is here to stay. – Chiefer Brick

Javan

With a collection of bangers and proper visuals that correspond, Javan has his sound and his brand figured out. The Philly native recently went on tour with College Weekly, where he was able to show off his rap prowess in front of thousands. The skateboard savvy rapper’s catalog of music is a vibe. His latest drop was a video for his song “Anime Wife,” which slaps. The visuals were just as dope as the music, which is saying something. That’s the standard that Javan has set and is determined to continue. –  Chiefer Mike

Oz Sparx 

Arguably the most melodic of the group, the young Oz Sparx differs from the gritty Philly sound to resemble a combination of PNB Rock and Meek Mill into one. He started his rapping career in 2016 when he dropped his first song “SUPER SAIYAN” on SoundCloud but it was not until 2018 that he released his debut single titled “RIght Now”. . The young artist released two eps flooded with bangers including breakout track “Fake” in 2019. Oz appears to have a strong team around him and has collaborated with producers TM88 and Jahdidit. Oz also has a deal with 510 Music Group which his last EP Gunsmoke was released under. Due to his impressive resume we are positive we will be seeing more of Oz Sparx in the years to come. – Chiefer Jacob