Rising Rapper Phora Has Been Going Hard For Nearly A Decade — Just Ask His Legions Of Fans
Rising Rapper Phora Has Been Going Hard For Nearly A Decade — Just Ask His Legions Of Fans
By Ural Garrett
On a rainy, February weekend at a rented Crescent Hills Drive house with a wide view of Los Angeles, Phora is putting the finishing touches on his Valentine’s Day release, “i still love you.” The track’s arrival was hinted at on his Instagram weeks before the drop, giving fans a taste of what to expect from a song that has him more in touch with his melodic side than ever.
“It’s just me tapping into my organic roots,” the 24-year-old rapper tells MTV News. “I’m really pushing the quota to my vocal length. I’ve been really practicing with vocal harmonies and stuff like that. It’s not a rap song. I guess you can call it a R&B song. It’s just my fashion and me taking a new approach. It’s the same me, just a new approach.”
That same evolving approach any time discussing “i still love you” and its accompanying music video is mapped out in regular Phora style which, as routinely, revolves around his fans. Mobile for nearly a decade, Phora, place on Earth Marco Anthony Archer, has amassed over 2 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and music videos with eight-figure view counts. Coupled with the accounts for his signature Yours Truly apparel brand, his audience is closer to 3 million.
His considerable following hasn't although translated to smashing chart success. Nevertheless just last year he made national headlines by nearly beginning a riot at the busy, Los Angeles intersection of Hollywood and Highland while conducting a meet-and-greet at the sneaker store Shoe Palace. Eight people were reportedly hospitalized at the event, where Phora gave out free shoes and Yours Truly swag to starved fans. Around the same time, he shut off a Orange County mall right after giving away $15,000 in money and even free gas for three hours at a local gas station.
“The fans are the structure and some days artists don’t understand that and so they think, oh, it’s just me because I’m a superstar who was just place on Earth with this talent,” explained Phora. “Nah, bro. You might have talent however in case you let your fans down and so they mention, 'You know what? Fuck this dude,' you’re going to be left with nothing.”
piece of the mindset comes from Phora’s humble beginnings in Anaheim, California, a city better referred to because the residence of Disneyland, where he was not only the victim of a stabbing as soon as he was 15 years old, however two shootings as well — including one in 2015 where he was shot three times in the back. Pouring all those stories into a consistent album and mixtape run that hasn’t let up since 2010, Phora has grown an army of fans that helped him secure a deal with Warner Bros. Records in 2017. His Warner Bros. Debut, Yours Truly Forever, dropped that same year, while the follow-up, Love Is Hell, was released in 2018.
“That’s the structure and I treat my fans like family member because, in a deeper sense, each person is human no matter who you are and I feel like a lot of these people aren’t just fans,” mentioned Phora. “They’re people who have been by way of the same sort of shit that I’ve been through. You know, relationship shit, family member shit, life shit or whichever the case may be. I feel like 99 percent of people — if not 100 percent of these people — have been in my same shoes before at some point in time.”
Phora’s eyes light up any time speaking about his fans, even more so once he’s asked about the initial note of support he derived on his 2010 YouTube debut, "Graff History." “I feel the verse from, 2:10 to 2:24," the commenter mentioned. "Kinda relate to it. Good song though.”
“I haven’t seen it,” answered Phora. “I’m going to check that person out and find that person and look for that person and I’m going to hunt them down.”
The track came from RePhlections Of The Truth Mixtape Vol. 1, an assignment that traditional him as something of a rap purist. It’s a far cry from his more contemporary, melodic efforts on last year’s Love Is Hell, which featured visitor appearances from G-Eazy, Tory Lanez and 6lack, among others. Love Is Hell’s title track also features Trippie Redd. That may have possibly alienated some of Phora’s loyal followers, his earlier material being more rooted in rap traditionalism than the emo-rap sound Redd and his peers have perfected. Yet, he doesn’t feel like he has anything to prove to the vocal naysayers in the video’s comments.
“I feel like I paid my dues and that was a big piece of my life where I showed my respect and gave my respect to hip-hop, from beginning up for Rakim to Talib Kweli,” Phora explains. “I don’t hope to have a certain sound or be labeled as a ‘insert here’ rapper. I don’t hope to sound like anyone else cause I don’t hope to be labeled. I wanted to tell my own story with my own sound and that’s it.”
Scott Dudelson/Getty ImagesAnyone who’s followed Phora over the years is aware the other leg of his story demands his Yours Truly clothing brand. He says the brand has taken on life of its own to the point where he’s had to manage over 20 personnel on his payroll.
“On the Yours Truly side, you have manufacturing, shipping, shipping fulfillment, screen printers, and sorting blank apparels like hoodies. Some days, we gotta go overseas,” he mentioned. "It’s a good thing however, I don’t have an answer for how it’s grown for now and thus rapidly.”
What he does understand is the next phase for Yours Truly: a flagship store initial February 24 on Los Angeles’ streetwear capital, Fairfax Avenue. Phora wants his line to be synonymous with the other stores in the area are known for the likes of Supreme, Golf, Dope, and The Hundreds.
“They’ve been doing it longer than we have so we’re like the little bro,” mentioned Phora. “The thing about us and the main reason why we’ve been so successful is because we study. To master the game, you should be a student first and we look at everything they do. We’re not arrogant to the reality that people have been doing this for a long time.”
While Phora adds to his juggling act, he’s also recording new music for his next album which, at the moment, doesn’t have a concept or theme, other than offering a space for him to unleash all his “emotions, feelings and shit.” 2019 will also be the year he expands his Yours Truly record label, as he starts searching for a diverse array of producers and artists.
"Whether you make happy music, sad music, R&B, whether you play piano and sing ballads, whether got bars and also you really wanna rap your ass off. We looking for anyone that's talented," he says. "I desire to have a fortress. I want to give everybody a possibility to shine."
Releasing new music, possessing full-fledged clothing brand, pleasing his rabid fanbase, and putting the gears in motion to grow his label family member would cause anyone to eventually burnout. Although, for the sake of the people who put him in this position, Phora doesn’t visualize himself letting up off the gas anytime soon.
“I feel like a lot of artist have a disconnect with fans and the reason my fanbase is so strong is because I go out of my way converse with people to look into people’s lives and get a higher class of understanding,” Phora says. “With that, I know how people feel and so they just want someone to relate to. People don’t desire to feel alone.”
Leave a Comment
Have something to discuss? You can use the form below, to leave your thoughts or opinion regarding Rising Rapper Phora Has Been Going Hard For Nearly A Decade — Just Ask His Legions Of Fans.
Hip-Hop News