20 years ago, Philadelphia was one of the great producers of hip-hop talent. The City of Brotherly Love gave us DJ Jazzy Jeff, the Fresh Prince himself, Will Smith, Boyz II Men, and The Roots, among others. However, lately there haven't been that many high-profile hip-hop acts from Philly, but there's a group out there that's out to change that.
Philadelphia Slick is a a hip-hop group that, like The Roots and Stetsasonic, uses live instrumentation, complete with a bomb horn section. The group consists of rapper Noesis, drummer El Smooth, Zach Reilly on drums, Mike Polinsky on bass, Matt Schwartz on tenor sax, and Adam Hershberger on trumpet. I first heard of Philly Slick about a year ago when they came up on my Roots Pandora station and I've been hooked ever since. I don't know why hip-hop bands are still not that popular since live instrumentation sounds so much better. Their sound is really fresh and unique and sets them apart others who use live instruments. The horns pack a powerful punch that's sure to please jazz heads and old-school hip-hop fans. Noesis also has one of the illest flows I've ever heard. His verses remind me a lot of Mos Def. He released a solo album last fall called The Way Things Work which is one of my records of 2012.
I really hope that Noesis and Philadelphia Slick can gain national recognition. Good hip-hop is hard to come by nowadays, so whenever you stumble upon a talented group like this, you want them to succeed. Only time will tell if they can put Philly hip-hop back on the map. Please do yourself a favor and give these guys a listen.
Selected Discography:
Culture Industry (2007) | Oil (2009) | Everything's Game (2010) | Rhizomatic (Noesis, 2005) | The Way Things Work (Noesis, 2012)
Recommended Tracks:
"Culture Industry" - Philadelphia Slick
"Fluent Advice" - Philadelphia Slick
"Happy Hour" & "The Secret" - Noesis