Philly Blocks

“Authentic” is a word that we seem to use less and less these days. We are living in an age where biting, remaking, and fabricating is accepted and often times praised as being original. The music industry is supersaturated with the same sound delivered through various manufactured “artists”. Commercial music no longer provides sustenance to the true music lover’s soul and Hip Hop storytellers like Nas and Pac come very few and far between in 2014… Then… out of nowhere comes Philly Blocks. This promising independent artist from Louisville, Kentucky is steadily making his presence known while ripping “band-wagon” rapper’s everywhere a new asshole. I was blessed to catch up with the thriving emcee for a brief telephone interview that was so deep, it must be delivered in two parts. Who is Philly Blocks and what is his story?



Bk: Do you remember the exact moment when you said, “Oh yea, this is what I want to do with my life”?


PB: I was exposed to music at the age of 4 because of “The Box“. The Box was like the only broadcast we had really had. Growing up, we didn’t have cable. We only had like four or five stations. But the one thing that I kept around was The Box. When I was with my brothers, I would watch music video after music video after music video. Back to back. At the time, It was mainly Eazy-E and Bone Thugz n Harmony and all them. That’s what really caused Eazy-E to be my first favorite rapper and Bone Thugz was my favorite rap group. I didn’t personally start doing music until I hit the age of 17/18. I just always grew up around music. My mother was really young, so she was into LL Cool J and Kris Kross and all that. So I was always around music. Plus, I had the soulful sound around me. My mother loved R&B. My granny loved the blues, so I always grew up in a musically inclined house.

As far as my influence in hip hop goes: I remember the first tapes I got. My mom would buy me Heavy D, I didn’t like Heavy D. I liked Eazy-E, Bone Thugs n Harmony and all that. My granny would buy me that because she knew that that’s what I liked. I had them on tape and I would just listen to them 24-7. It just grew to a point where… Even Big and Pac weren’t even my first rapper’s at first, Master P was one of my favorites. I was a die-hard fan. Plus, I’ve always been a the independent movement.

BK: Haaaa, I remember The Box. It came on UPN lol. So from what I have read about you, at one point you were really caught up in street life. How did you get caught up in it and what exactly made you completely get out of it.


PB: I got into it because of my father. My pops was in the streets. At the time, my mother was 14 and my father was 16 when he had me. I was his second child. So, he tired to do the working thing and was like this child support… I’m basically paying more than i’m making. So, i’ma hit these streets and do what I have to do. I have to feed three kids. I knew that he was in the streets at like the age of 8 or 9 but he sat me down and talked with me about everything that he was doing, so I was aware of it. By the time I jumped into the streets, it was under him. This was around the time 9-11 had happened. My mother picked me up from school that same day and she told me that things were not going to be the same anymore. She was like: You’re not going to get the Jordan’s that you want, you’re not about to get all the name brands and jewelry that you are used to because the economy is about to switch over. That really deteriorated my dreams of wanting to play football. I used to play football… My father always told me: If football don’t work, this is your plan B right here. He showed me how to do everything. Under him, I learned the streets. I didn’t run with a whole crew. That made me more independent because I was able to see how he did things. I was in the streets from like 13 to 18. What made me get out of it was my pops got sick. He was like, “Go to school”. He told me not to worry about what’s going on here. Just take care of what you need to take care of. Before I linked up with him, I was getting locked up for little mischievous stuff like shoplifting. So when my pops was like, Get your mind right, get your mind on your money, I did. In High School, I had money. When it was time to go to college, he was like, “Get Out”. That’s what kinda changed my mind. I took what I learned from the streets over to college because I knew that I had to be one step ahead of how I run things and paid for school. I figured that with the street business, you apply the same principles you learn to real world. You have to be your own investor and keep up with your own inventory and all that. It’s similar to how school is and how music is. I just adopted the same principles.



BK: How do you describe your music?


PB: I describe my music as being reality music/trap. It’s not for a child. I can only speak about the environment that’s around me. I can only speak on what it was like growing up in the west End for 25 years in Louisville, Kentucky. I like to give more storytelling that’s realistic. You have the trap stuff in it, you have the performance pieces, and you have all the soulful part. Overall, it’s reality.

BK: What is your overall goal with music? What do you want to accomplish as the end of the day


PB: My goal is to remain independent as long as I can. I want to take my music and get into different businesses with it. For example: I make $100,000, I want to take half and put it into a barbershop. Take the other 50 and cash out on that. May set up an auto shop and just make business to where people can eat and be comfortable. That way, I know i’ll have different avenues to make money outside of music as well as being independent. I don’t want the average, like the clothing companies. THAT’S AVERAGE. I want to do different things. I don’t know what endeavors might come doing this music but I am open to anything just to get money in a different lane or avenue outside of rap. But, I do want to stay independent as long as I am doing this rap. I want to be the dude that made if from Louisville because there are no outlets here. There are non in Kentucky.

BK: You’re saying there are no outlets in Kentucky?


PB: No, there are none here. You have to travel out. You can even have a team behind you but it’s only so long that the team will remain behind you because the team will flip on you quicker than what you got on. So, the way I look at it is… People already know my name. One thing about my name is, i’m strange. So know it’s time time to reach out and hit the Nashville’s, Atlanta’s, Houston’s, Memphis’s… The Gary’s and Chicago’s all of that.

BK: You struck my attention when you spoke on Master P. What is it about his particular journey that made you want to go the indie route vs. major?


PB: Honestly, you get more money. What you put into it is what you’re going to get out of it. Ain’t NOBODY taking a cut of what you make. Of course business is business and when you get certain deals, you have to break bread with some people. My thing is… With the blood, sweat, and tears I put into this, I don’t want anyone else reaping the benefits from it. Unless if they were in the picture. I understand P and where he was coming from a long time ago. Like, why am I only going to pocket 15 percent when I’m doing all the work. It should be reverse. I should be getting the 80/85 percent and you should only get the 15/20 percent. The only thing I need is distribution and I can take care of everything else myself. I can get someone to run the studio, I can buy my own beats myself, I can record myself or pay someone to record me. That way I know where my expenses are adding up. When it’s time to put the project back out, it’s just like the streets. Once you get that cooked product, you can put it right on the street and make it wholesale. The money is going to come back to you, so keep on doing the same thing: Put it into another project. That’s what made me pay attention to P at an young age. Even Jay. Jay-Z is probably my favorite rapper of all time. I watched him come up and he was independent, I watched him and Dame was doing the same thing. They were going to radio stations and dropping off duffle bags of cash, paying to be played. I love the independent grind like what P and Jay did because they paved the way for so many other artists. Now you can see one’s who were influenced by Master P really coming out now and they are my age. The younger generation was the target that they were trying to hit. I had a visual - Blaq Kharma

Read I AM Philly Blocks Part I HERE





BK: You took a brief hiatus to learn more of the business side of the music business. What all exactly did you do to better equip yourself?

PB: I actually grabbed a book and read it. I tried to read as much as I could. It was dry but I learned. I learned the importance of networking and getting into people’s faces. I learned that I had to talk to people in different ways. When I did take my hiatus, people actually thought that I fell off, but I never fell off. I was busy learning about things like Performer’s Right’s Organizations, and copyrights, and anything else that I knew would make me money from what I do. There came a point in time where I was like, Alright, I’m good at what I do, now I know that I’m ready for what I need. I put in time. I even watched tutorials on how to do things the right way. People really think that you get in a studio and you just rap and “they” just mix and master and then your song is out. It doesn’t work like that. Your music has to be fully registered, that way you get paid off of spins. I had to learn what a spin is and ways to spin and how many spins go out per week. I even looked at the top ten list from the Urban category to the adult contemporary category. I paid attention to EVERYTHING. The way I look at it is, that’s my competition and it’s not local. So I’m looking at the list like, “You’re number one, you’re number two, and so forth. You’re the people that I have to go against in order to get on to this list. I learned how to maneuver myself around. Plus, I feel like I have a better advantage because most people around me really don’t know the business side. So, I have a better chance to jump out and be where I need to be dealing with music.

BK: You referred to a book that you studied out of, what was the name of that book?

PB: The Business of Music. It was a really thick book. It had to be like 1400 pages long or something but it was an older edition. It was running off stuff that was done in the 90’s. It was still valid. A lot of the things I learned in that book are still used today. I didn’t have to read the whole book because of that but I did study the key points. It was like: This still goes on today, that still goes on today. This is the basics. I took the essentials from the book and just applied it to what I knew and what I was trying to learn. In addition to the book, I learned from the internet. You can get information so quick. I can just put something in my phone and it will just pop up. If I want to learn it, I can go over it myself. The majority of the things I have learned, I have taught myself. I was never big on school. I really don’t even like reading, so whenever I do get into something, I have to have a genuine compassion about it because if i’m not interested, I wont learn it. So, it was really me teaching myself. Even through college. It’s funny because in college they tell you that you have to read all these books. I honestly, did not pick up a book in college and I’m still above where I need to be because I teach myself. I can educate me by being hands on.

BK: Just for clarification, so that everyone knows that you aren’t just talking. You’re already a business man, What is the name of your record label.

PB: 563 Entertainment. It stands for “L.O.E” = Loyalty over Everything

BK: At the end of the day when everything is said and done, What do you want your legacy to be?

PB: That I was real from jump. I was me the whole time. I didn’t come in with no gimmicks or none of that. I came in being me. I just want to document my life through music. I can talk about my up’s and down’s. I want people to know that I was real from beginning to end. I want people to be able to say, “He was genuinely him”. At the end of the day, I just want to make sure that my mama and my family is straight. That is my goal. In another year or so, If I can take this, when people doubted me in my life, and make it into something and take care of my family, that would be the best feeling in the world to do that. - Blaq Kharma

Nearing the strike of midnight, where else should you find a superproducer? The studio of course. Mr. Hanky showed his generosity by taking a last minute meeting with indie Louisville rapper, Philly Blocks. The meeting was nothing short of golden and appreciated.



Mr. Hanky revealed his view on the music industry, his Atlanta roots, and how the indies rise up. He spoke of the come up of big artists like Wiz Khalifa, Hurricane Chris and Gucci Mane. Wiz bought his way up through strategic placement in big name venues. Gucci (who Hanky knew growing up) went through the streets on foot day and night, distributing heavily. He also talked about how the music industry is a revolving door with company executives jumping from company to company often, and the artist getting the lesser hand if they don’t watch out.



Observations and experiences also led him to give the advice of always having a wow factor. Every big artist we know has a characteristic that is unique our outrageous that makes them easy to remember and point out. Another way to get the “wow factor” kicking is to get people to notice you in a way that makes them wonder if you are somebody important. This includes stunts such as dressing up and looking important and rich for the night in a VIP section. Make everyone notice you, and wonder if they’re missing something, “perception is reality”, explains the experienced superproducer. All-in-all “you just have to have fun with it.”

When it comes to business it is about how hard you work and how many people you can get to talk about/hear you, even just to see your name. Superproducer Mr. Hanky states that whether they hate you or love you, at least they are talking about you. It’s free press and distribution. Either listeners will wonder who this person is that everyone hates and why, or what is it that makes everyone love you. Nicki Minaj, Gucci and Iggy Azalea started out as hated disgraceful rappers, but they are thanking everyone now for opening their negative mouths. There will always, no matter what, be people that dislike you, Maybe about 50%. It’s impossible for everyone to like you. Lovers are gained as much as haters are gained, and it becomes so much talk to the point where it’s impossible to not spin your record. Do not worry about the haters.
Mr. Hanky left Philly Blocks and crew the advice to never let up, because even when it seems like no one cares, there is ALWAYS somebody watching. They are watching to see if you can be consistent and if you will give up. They will see if you outwork everyone, and eventually they will speak up and it will all be worth it. Hanky could tell the Philly Blocks had the ambition and he’s ready to support the work that Philly puts out or give advice. A 30-minute last minute meeting, turned into hours of amazing conversation. It was a night Philly Blocks will never forget. - Taryn Williams

In the jungle that is the “On The Rise” fast paced environment, it doesn’t take much to get lost in the essence of the “struggle”. For up and coming artist Philly Blocks, each day means that he’s one step closer to his dreams. As On The Rise Magazine’s first member of project RISEN, he’s a witness to the blessings that come from hard work and endurance, and he has the heart to get through the jungle in one piece. I had an opportunity to check in with Philly Blocks. Here’s what he had to say…




OTRMag/Attica: I’m thinking of your new single, 2013; what was the biggest hit, good or bad, that you received in 2013?


Philly Blocks: In 2013 I was suffering from depression and very bad luck. I always been a threat even as a local upcoming artist, so I dealt with false rumors spread about me, battling with lean addiction, along with people you felt you trusted steal from you. Last year was rough. I went through it all rumors, relation problems, trust issues,etc that I still battle with today. I’m blessed though to be here that was the best thing that happened last year is that I dodged death multiple times and here to receive blessings.


OTRMag/Attica: What has been the best part of 2014 so far?


Philly Blocks: The best part has been traveling in getting out of my city (Louisville,KY). Actually working and grinding dealing and shaking hands with millionaires. Your network is your net-worth so that lets me know where I’m going to be at real soon independently.



OTRMag/Attica: Are you enjoying the On The Rise Magazine RISEN experience?


Philly Blocks: Yes. Its getting me out my situation in the city.With no help or hope everybody hungry so it humbles me seeing new things being put to the test and seeing how bad I want this.



OTRMag/Attica: Who are some of the professionals you have met thus far since joining On The Rise Magazine?


Philly Blocks: I met Mr.Hanky, DJ Jelly, Mykel Myers, Sean Paul of the YoungBloods, Money Designz to think of off the head



OTRMag/Attica: So far, do you think you are going in the right direction as far as your career goes?


Philly Blocks: Yeah.Things don’t happen overnight, but this is what I want. when you around people like them that are established it pushes you to get it, it motivation. I can finally get over not trusting people from the street aspect and learning how to put your knowledge from the streets into the music business. I’m learning from entrepreneurs, because what I wanna be, a boss Almighty Philly .


OTRMag/Attica: Are people from your home town happy for you?


Philly Blocks: Lmao hell no Everybody hungry and looking for licks and come up. I live in the West End which is referred to as the Jungle and everybody wanna be somebody, but don’t grind in most cases. People looking handouts and people hate when you doing something and applying yourself, so they looking to knock you off by any means. I have close friends and family that really know my story and support me, but even at a time they doubted me so I take it with a grain of salt and laugh at it, it hurts, but I’m able to laugh about it now.



OTRMag/Attica: What’s up for September and October for Philly Blocks?


Philly Blocks: September its just laying low, getting money, the regular and #KapoDay coming up September 10th. October I will be back in ATL for A3C hip Hop festival and meeting more people.



OTRMag/Attica: Any shout-outs or honorable mentions?


Philly Blocks: Shout out to my squad #Team563, Winners Only Gang ,my publicist Attica Lundy for believing in me, Darnell Johnson for getting me here at this point., My momma and granny, My brody Big Q, Real Deal Lock ,Cino Fresh, My block 28th -n-Dixdale, and the West End of Louisville,KY for making me who I am through good and bad situations.


Thanks Philly Blocks. We look forward to more Philly Blocks music!


Connect with Philly Blocks at

@PhillyBlocks on #Twitter

@PhillyBlocks on #Instagram

@PhillyBlocksMusic on #SoundCloud

@PhillyBlocks563 on #Reverbnation

@phillyblocks563 on #Facebook

http://indy.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/26279/philly-blocks-kapo-musik-2.html - Attica Lundy Cooper

What we have here is 5.6.3. Entertainment Presents Philly Blocks: Kapo Musik 2. The Louisville slugger comes out swinging on this Southern meets East Coast offering. Using the tried and true formula that is permeating speakers throughout urban jungles, Philly Blocks is intent on making a name for himself in the crowded rap arena. Fourteen cuts (including an intro) touch on various topics familiar to listeners of Trap/Southern Rap. After the obligatory “Intro”, Philly Blocks starts off strong with “My Thoughts”. This is the most powerful cut on Kapo Musik 2, as it allows Blocks to wax poetic over a soulful sample. With lyrical skill, he paints vivid pictures for listeners to understand where his mind is throughout this mixtape. “Inner city blues like Marvin Gaye” is one of the poignant gems that Philly Blocks drops on this song. “Limits” is another tune that captures the attention of eardrums, with an infectious backdrop serving as the foundation for lyrics laced with venom. The themes are nothing new: drugs, jail, street life. Philly Blocks manages to spit lyrics without sounding pretentious or fake. His reality mirrors the the lives of those that are drawn into his musical world. “Lord Have Mercy” is his thug prayer, showing Dipset influences thoughtout. This is the cut that has Philly Blocks showing that spiritual side, even if it is draped in urban, street lingo. You can tell that the Kentucky thoroughbred pours his soul into his music through liquid lyrics.

Truth be told, he is not Kendrick Lamar or Lupe Fiasco when it comes to lyrical dexterity or complexity, but he doesn’t profess to be in that mold. What you are getting is a true to HIS heart artist that is using rap as a tool to spit about the ills in society. These images may not be pretty, but they are indeed real. “Celebration” touches on this, as Philly Blocks talks about friends and comrades in the struggle for survival. Typical tales of street existence and getting rich are littered through this celebratory song. The next two selections give props to UGK legend Pimp C. “Pimp C (Skit)” and “Pimp C Of My City”are both nods to Chad Butler, who put Port Arthur, Texas on the map (alongside his rhyming cohort Bun B). You get the notion with these two additions to Kapo Musik 2 that Philly Blocks has been a true fan since the days of Ridin’ Dirty (check the UGK discography). “Pimp C Of My City” brings the listener into that Texas state of mind. Keeping with that Texas theme, we have the next offering, “Kali Texas” (featuring Lock From Da Block). “Smokin’ on that Cali (Kali), sippin’ on that Texas” is the mantra for this Philly Blocks/chopped and screwed-like mixtape cut. The slow, methodical track is the appropriate backdrop for the syrup-laced track. Giving those within earshot a more melodic cut for the feminine persuasion, “Love Me Or Leave Me” is an ambient selection. The atmospheric track provides just enough space for Philly Blocks to spit 21st century game at the ladies. He gives us just another glimpse into his multi-faceted thug persona. “Moving”, the tenth track on Kapo Musik 2, starts with audio from voicemail messages setting the stage for Philly Blocks to use a double-time flow. This flow is another weapon in the arsenal for making power moves and stacking chips.

The most auspicious title on Kapo Musik 2 is “Iran Contra” (featuring Bankroll Chaser and Big Q). The psuedo-political title makes way for Blocks, Chaser and Q to compare the large-scale drug wars during the Reagan era with the happenings on many urban streets today. The concept is a dope one, even if not executed at a high degree. Another ode to money-making on this mixtape is “Road To Riches”. Topics ranging from fed time, commissaries, and gone but not forgotten street soldiers is filtered through “Road To Riches”. It’s a dirty tale, to say the least, but also an inspirational one. You can feel, yet again, Philly Blocks taking listeners on a tour through every hood and ghetto in America. “Celebration (Remix)”, featuring Lil Daddy O and Jamarcus, covers familiar territory over a nice track. This remix of Track 5 has each artist bringing their vision to the masses, saluting those still in the struggle, in the system, in the trap (whatever that proverbial trap may be). The last selection on Kapo Musik 2, “It’s Going Down” (featuring Bandman), gives you that Hotlanta bounce and feel reminiscent of Young Dro a few years ago. The title is self-explanatory, as both rhymers detail what’s really going on in Trap USA.

Kapo Musik 2 doesn’t break any new ground lyrically or thematically. It’s the same, or very similar, story of young Black males circumventing, navigating, and transversing a system not designed for his success. Philly Blocks adds his own unique seasonings to his Kentucky-fried saga, giving those listening to Kapo Musik 2 more food for thought. With 5.6.3. Entertainment backing their flagship artist, you should be seeing and hearing more from this artist in the future.



Twitter: @PhillyBlocks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhillyBlocks563

Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/phillyblocks563

Tumblr: http://lifeofakapo.tumblr.com/

Mixtape Link: http://indy.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/26279/philly-blocks-kapo-musik-2.html - Wisdom

Who is artist PHILLY BLOCKS???

In the On The Rise Community, Philly Blocks is a name that is slowly emerging from out of nowhere. To the masses of he may still be on the rise, but to his emerging fan base he’s a superstar.

Philly Blocks was born as Juancinto Neal September 10, 1988 in

Louisville, KY. However he had relatives on the east coast in

Pennsylvania, he would visit there often and became engulfed in the

Philadelphia hip hop scene; he was attracted to their wordplay and

delivery. “I’ve always had an east coast delivery and being heavily

influenced by many east coast rappers. I chose Philly as my surname.” As for Blocks it stems from a brief stint in the streets as a youth, hence the name Philly Blocks!
At the age of 4 Philly was exposed to hip hop with his eyes, the first music video he saw was Bones Thugs-N-Harmony’s “Thuggish Ruggish Bone”. From that day forward he fell in love with Blocks from the age 13-17 was more focused on being a King Pin compared to being a King of the Pen so by the age of 17 he found himself facing a weapons possession charge in March of 2006.

After the legal drama Philly decided to take his passion, hustle, and street smarts to the studio. Taking his music to the next level in February 2009, he dropped his first mixtape “Marlo Stanfield: The Crown” hosted by DJ Thru Da Roof. This spawned several great reviews and even landed him gigs at several venues around the city of Louisville such as Tailgaters, JT’s, and Icebreakers, the American Legion, and sports bars around the area. With creative marketing Blocks found himself performing on the east coast in cities like New York and Cleveland, OH.

With his second mixtape circulating the streets “Live From the West End” is hosted by two of Kentucky’s most prominent Dj’s, DJ Empty Beats and DJ Tae Philly dropped his third mixtape called Ali The Mixtape hosted by DJ Marlei Mar and took it on the road down south to Houston, TX were the people of the south loved the Kentucky born artist and is the perfect warm up for what Philly’s indie label L.O.E believes will be a catapulting force for himself and the state of Kentucky.
In 2012 Philly arranged and mixtape called “Kapo Musik” which exposed his songwriting abilities as well taste in original production from producers such as Drumma Drama, Dipset beats, and various homegrown producers. Philly took a hiatus to understand the business and to comprehend how thing are ran in orderly fashioned, also from during this short stint away from, Philly had music put up and picked up recording again. When February 2014 rolled around “Kapo Musik 2 “was released with DJ Murph & DJ 864 and was received well by an bigger audience stage from LiveMixtapes and Mixtape Kitchen.

In due time a street album named “L.O.E (Loyalty Over Everything)” is in the works and Philly is gearing up to take over the music scene in his home town and subsequently the country! Philly is quoted saying “I will not rest until the name Philly Blocks is in every household”.

As of 2014, artist Philly Blocks is currently on the RISEN media tour and is accepting media interviews per request at DearTrapMary@gmail.com (publicist Attica Lundy). He has clean and explicit music available upon request.Philly Blocks is also available for speaking engagements and community events. He welcomes any and all attempts to reach out to him. For Show and Appearance Booking contact DearTrapJesus@gmail.com (Mgr Rafael Cooper). - On The Rise Magazine