Arts Desk » Phil Ade

It Takes a Village to Make a Mixtape

Marcus J. Moore — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:59:36 +0000

Javier Starks isn't a look-at-me rapper. He's nothing if not respectful, even referring to his male peers as "sir." And while Starks is energetic, he often keeps to himself in public, quietly reciting his own rhymes or studying the performances onstage.

Perhaps that humble demeanor made it easier to secure guest spots for his Faces of Change mixtape. Released yesterday, the massive collaborative project features a who's-who of local hip-hop and R&B artists (just look at the mixtape cover).

On the impressive "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," for instance, Starks trades bars with Gods'Illa over dusty drums and chopped piano chords. The bouncy "Fall Back" features two inspired verses from Phil Ade and RAtheMC, and the rock-tinged "Between Her" features MC Don Juan. Elsewhere, Starks and Mambo Sauce frontman Black Boo put their own verses atop Wale's "Pretty Girls," and Jay Mills guest stars on "Fancy," a remake of Drake's song of the same name.

Faces of Change is available for free. Go here to download it, or listen below.

Faces Of Change by Javier Starks

Arts Roundup: IDGAF Edition

Jonathan L. Fischer — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:07:14 +0000

Runway Reformation: Check It and Notorious got a pretty dramatic do-over Saturday night from MPD, who lent the gay street gangs space in its Boys and Girls Club to hold a fashion show, reports the Post. It was the debut of TurnItUp, Check It's new apparel brand. Not that the kids have renounced violence, at least the defensive kind. "I ain't changing for nobody. I'm still going to be who I am," one of Check It's members tells the Post. "Sometimes you're going to have to fight, especially if you're a gay, black male."

The Coliseum Reborn? File this in the Department of Slightly Far-Fetched Ideas. A local firm is gathering area architecture students to come up with proposals to make the decrepit and vacant Uline Arena (formerly the Washington Coliseum) into a for-profit music museum and performance space. The site, which is currently owned by Douglas Development, has been a lot of things over the years, from a sports and music venue to a parking lot to, recently, the site of some experimental theater. As for music: It hosted The Beatles' first-ever U.S. concert; later, go-go shows took place there. Certainly, D.C.'s musical history is bountiful enough (Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye) to deserve a museum, even if its most notable sounds of the last 30 years (go-go, hardcore) are pretty subcultural. Douglas says its interested in the concept, but it still might be a tough sell.

Shooting Crabs in a Barrel: SmCity, Oddisee, and Phil Ade address their haters in the least-grating fuck-the-haters cut in recent memory, which we've already praised on this blog. Now, here's the video:

Today on Arts Desk: More MLK-themed local music. More news from Locally Grown.

Phil Adé’s Next Friday

Marcus J. Moore — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:40:48 +0000

Phil Adé is certainly prolific. When he isn't flooding the DMV with an endless stream of free music—he dropped four (four!) mixtapes in 2011—the young MC headlines local shows and lends his fiery wordplay to songs like this. All of which is welcome news for his dedicated listeners, if not for his haters (listen to his verse on SmCity's "Mr. IDGAF" for confirmation).

If you needed further evidence of Phil Adé's prowess, his last mixtape from 2011, the 19-track #PhilAdeFriday2, should work. Don't waste time. He's probably already working on his first tape for 2012.

DatPiff has #PhilAdeFriday2. Download it there.

Six Recent DMV Hip-Hop Videos Ranked in Order of Sincerity

Joe Warminsky — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:15:16 +0000

1. SmCity featuring Pro'verb, "My Own Boss"
Of all the rap videos that prominently feature Malcolm X imagery, at least 99 percent are sincere.

2. Young Sir, "Don't Stop"
Back-alley cinematography. Humble body language. A midsong work-ethic monologue. A Ben's shot.

3. Phil Adé feat. Casey Veggies "P.O.P. Music (Paper Over Pussy)"
FACT: You might say that you put money ahead of sex, but sooner or later sex is gonna work its way back to the top of the priority list.

4. Laelo featuring Paradise, "Fly With Me"
Frank Sinatra was on the "Come Fly With Me" tip like 50 years ago. Oh wait, this song is about weed.

5. Luegar, "The New DC"
His shirt says "Captain Kirk." The ladies' shirts say "Goony Girls." He calls himself a warlock. It's all good, though.

6. Garvey The Chosen One, "Beat It Like A Dog"
The outtakes from this shoot are probably hilarious.

They Don’t Give a Fuck, But You Should

Marcus J. Moore — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:17:23 +0000

In preparation for his new album The Indie Life: Hate, Love & Money dropping next Thursday, DMV rapper SmCity has released a new single: "Mr. IDGAF," featuring MC/producer Oddisee and star-in-waiting Phil Ade.

In case you really need to know, "IDGAF" stands for "I don't give a fuck." On the brassy Oddisee-produced track, the three MCs chastise the DMV's last-standing crabs-in-a-barrel theory, laughing at their haters in the process. "I don't want no parts of that wack shit/Tryin' to stay far from distractions," Sm rhymes.

DCMumboSauce has the single. Go there to listen and download.

Download Phil Adé’s New Tape, Then Go to His Show Tonight

Marcus J. Moore — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:05:30 +0000

There's a magnetic flair to Phil Adé and his music, which combines youthfully aggressive lyrics with an airy array of trunk-rattling loops. Adé captivates on the mic, whether he's rhyming about the pitfalls of fame or living life in the fast lane. Fine, so he isn't famous. Either way, when Adé speaks, you listen.

And the Grenadian-Nigerian MC is growing up very quickly. Just two years ago, Ade released his debut Starting on JV mixtape, led by the powerful single "Hollywood," which took him to the top of the local hip-hop scene. Certainly, Adé's affiliation with Raheem DeVaughn hasn't hurt. Still, the 22-year-old MC has matured with each release. Now, he attacks each song with the assurance of a grizzled veteran.

After releasing several songs from the project, Adé dropped the full A Different World mixtape yesterday, featuring Black Cobain, Mac Miller, and others. Download it, and then check out Adé's concert at U Street Music Hall tonight.

Phil Ade performs with Tiara Thomas, David Correy and Black Alley. Tickets are $15. Doors open at 7:45 p.m. U St. Music Hall is located at 1115A U St. NW.

Don’t Be Bored: “Academy 2011,” Phantogram

Ally Schweitzer — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:15:24 +0000

Nineteen students from area schools, including American University, George Washington University, Corcoran College of Art and Design, and University of Maryland, were selected to show their work in Conner’s annual MFA/ BFA show “Academy 2011”—but the 11 Maryland Institute College of Art students may win the most attention. In Ginny Huo’s “Mother’s Table,” pictured, a taxidermied dog perches under a dining table, with tennis balls affixed to the feet of the table, chairs, and dog to protect the Pergo floor. Less tongue-in-cheek is Dan Gioia’s “Sphere,” a globe of sod, which puts a new spin on earth art, literally (you can spin it!). More contemplative pieces include American University student Emily Biondo’s “Shrouded,” a prayer shawl woven from speaker wire accompanied by an audio piece of religious services digitally pieced together. From the Corcoran, Sierra Suris’ photos of “Missed Connections” are also intriguing. Part art-object, part process documentation, the photos capture authors of the wistful Craigslist ads and pose them at the place they missed their connections. Suris’ images somberly capture the physical disconnect and vulnerability in our virtually networked world. (John Anderson) The exhibition is on view 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays to Aug. 20 at Conner Contemporary Art, 1358 Florida Ave. NE. Free.

MUSIC

Yah mo b there: Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs unite in Caucasian soulfulness at Wolf Trap tonight. Wispy silver hair will blow in the wind; Dockers-clad hips will rock to and fro. For those young'ns who only know McDonald from The 40-Year Old Virgin or the sample of "I Keep Forgettin'" in Warren G and Nate Dogg's "Regulate," get familiar! 8 p.m. $25 for lawn tickets; $42 in-house.

Los Angeles bro-tonica group The Glitch Mob headlines 9:30 Club tonight, bringing a light show and possibly a female acrobat. Openers Phantogram and Com Truise are more interesting, though—the former, an electronic downtempo rock band from New York state, play a kind of updated, poppier trip-hop; and producer Com Truise—who was in town this year at a much smaller venue during Forward Fest— is straight-up '80s sci-fi, to sometimes awesome effect. 7 p.m. $20.

Phil Ade comes through the U Street Music Hall to promote his new mixtape A Different World. First download it at 2dopeboyz, then read the forthcoming Arts Desk review. 7:45 p.m. $15.

BOOKS

Former Ambassador and U.S. Special Envoy on Afghanistan Peter Tomsen visits Politics & Prose to talk about his book The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers, in which he spells out how the United States does not understand the ongoing power struggles in that country. 7 p.m. Free.

New Yorker Christopher Grant reads from his debut novel Teenie, about a bright Brooklyn girl whose success is endangered by problematic relationships. Busboys & Poets, 14th & V. 6:30 p.m. Free.

FILM

Serpico, the 1973 cop drama starring Al Pacino, shows as part of the Sidney Lumet retrospective at Artisphere. 8 p.m. $6.

DMV Filter: Laelo Hood, D.C. Don Juan, Phil Ade

Marcus J. Moore — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:42:55 +0000

Although his Fuck the World album dropped in January, Laelo Hood released "Hooked on You" as a single yesterday, a breezy tale of drug dependence featuring vocalist Maimouna Youssef on the hook. "Hooked" is a dope record (sorry, I couldn't resist), and one of the better songs from Laelo's album. DCMumboSauce has the single.

The flashy D.C. Don Juan has released the official video for "Can't Take Me Out," the autobiographical single from his A Star Was Born — Vol. 2 mixtape, released last Tuesday. The upbeat track, running just under two minutes, finds Don reflecting on his checkered past and looking forward to better times.

Phil Ade drops A Different World later today, but he also just dropped one last single, "You're The One," featuring Killa Kyleon. Over a track by Sunny Norway, Ade rhymes about struggle: "I got roaches in my kitchen, I go to sleep and get bitten/Had to get rid of my mattress, disaster is what I live in." I find that hard to believe, given Ade's affiliations and quick ascension to the forefront of DMV hip-hop. Still, the song showcases Ade's fluid lyrical ability. DJBooth has the single.

Phil Adé Can’t Stay Away From U.S. Royalty

Joe Warminsky — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:54:11 +0000

Phil Adé's new track "Monte Carlo Dreams," with its blatant U.S. Royalty samples, probably exists because the Maryland rapper and the D.C. rock band already had a thing goin' on. (Click that link and watch that video, it's kinda nice.) The original "Monte Carlo" was a "coke-kissed Fleetwood Mac-style jam" (yeah, I just quoted myself), but in the hands of Chicago-reared, DMV-based producer Sunny Norway, the song's most useful parts (the guitar lead, especially) are excised and recycled into something glitzy. And, whereas U.S. Royalty's lyrics were about a crazy traveling lady or something, Adé keeps his "Monte Carlo" theme a little closer to home, opting for a car metaphor, with a "454 engine roarin'." The overall lesson: HIP-HOP TAKES WHATEVER IT WANTS. (Adé apparently has an album, A Different World, out July 19.)

FACT CHECK: A 454-cubic-inch engine indeed was an option on the Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS: Adé interviewed by New York's 92.3 Now FM at the time he was recording the song. Norway interviewed on his back.

DOWNLOAD: Phil Adé "Monte Carlo Dreams" (Produced by Sunny Norway)

Photo nicked from Adé's Facebook page.

WCP Does SXSW: Phil Adé

Ramon Ramirez — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:21:45 +0000

All week, Arts Desk profiles area artists heading to Texas for the South by Southwest Music Conference, March 15-20.

On last year’s exceptional summer mixtape, The Letterman, DMV rapper Phil Adé made his intentions and aesthetics perfectly clear:“I’m the only 21-year-old that raps like he’s 30.”

Adé’s flow is mature and smoky. Catch his guest verses alongside area MCs and friends like Tabbi Bonney and Wale, Adé sounds like big brother. Beyond sonic booms, Adé’s songs are littered with samples from the legends of his youth: Biggie, Andre 3000, Lil Wayne, and even Beastie Boys. His newest video is a remake of Ice Cube’s mask-and-gloves-era ‘92 single, “Wicked.”

“We’ve been trying to flip classic songs,” Adé says. “My manager showed me the joint, can’t claim too much credit. I put my own spin on it and I wanted the video to be like Cube’s—just me wildin’ out.”

Adé turns 23 in August, and he comes up in a moment with distinct, quirky, skinny-jean kid dynamos—many of whom he’ll run into next week in Austin, Texas for the 2011 South By Southwest music conference. His salty snarl doesn’t exactly gel with leading contemporaries (and lightning rods of critical attention) like Wiz Khalifa and Odd Future.

“I’m ready for whatever,” Adé says. “We’ll be in town doing five shows...I respect everyone, we all have something different to offer even if it’s not really my thing.”

Adé makes an important clarification: He is not a hater. The influences may be easy to identify (‘90s rap built to destroy from trusted, lower-middle-class enclaves), but Adé’s almost flower-child “music is a canvas, man” insistence shows unusual depth. It’s this sort of openness that led Adé to duet with area revivalist rockers (and fellow South by Southwest showcase talent), U.S. Royalty last year. The driving, blues-based product howled and bumped like the best moments from that Black Keys-plus-rappers album.

“I met them at an art gallery show I did for a photographer,” Adé says. “I was introduced to John, the lead singer, and we just went from there and recorded a few cuts. Hopefully we get to release [the rest]. I’m an artist, man. It’s not about rap and alternative, it’s about good music.”

Touring with Pittsburgh’s Mac Miller through the conference, Adé is using his 19-year-old billing mate’s youthful crowds to refine his performance. Over the phone and from the road, Adé is downright giddy about the differing audiences he’ll encounter in Austin. Adé is Twitter-savvy, efficient, and proudly on an indie label. Still, he doesn’t seem especially interested about concrete net gains from the upcoming experience.

“I just want to have fun man,” Adé says. “Last year was my first time [at South by Southwest], and it was unreal being downtown and bumping into like Wiz rapping on the street. South By is a great place to just hang out and connect. It’s great to network but I’m there to do dope music.”

If there’s one thing Phil Adé hopes to clarify in the wake of his Texas stint, it’s that he’s not from Philadelphia.

“I get that all the time,” Adé says. “I have a big Maryland flag on my hat and people still ask if I’m from Philly. I’m not on some Flo Rida shit.”