Whether you're calling him STS or Sugar Tongue Slim, this rapper been a mainstay in the Philadelphia scene for over a decade — so much so that it can be easy to forget that he was born and bred in Atlanta. He even names the Philadelphia Eagles as his favorite football team.
When it comes to hip-hop in Philly, you often hear artist tout how the City of Brotherly Love holds them back — that living here is like being a crab in a barrel. Typically our artists can be found taking up new residence in places like LA and New York, and very seldom do you come across an out-of-town rapper that has made Philadelphia his permanent residence with no plans to relocate. STS tells us that it's all because of a little thing called Black Lily.
If you are 30 or over and know even an ounce about the neo soul scene that was developing in Philly during the late 90's to early 2000's, then you know what he's talking about. Black Lily was a weekly woman-centric open mic that took place at The 5 Spot — and if you were a regular, it was nothing to catch an intimate set from the likes of Jill Scott, Jazmine Sullivan, or The Roots. Black Lily was where STS fell in love with the city.
Like I said the other day: one thing Philly music industry startup RECphilly is amazing at is inspiring artists to collaborate. We saw that happen the first time we worked with them on a live audience Key Studio Session this summer; we saw it happen in a bigger way the second time around, which we present to you today.
We rejoiced earlier this month when two of Philly's finest, rapper Sugar Tongue Slim and electronic artist RJD2, released their collaboration album. All 12 tracks on STS x RJD2 hold brilliant musical detours, with the duo marking their territory with hints of hip hop, jazz, soul, pop, etc.
After World Cafe's Sense of Place series has travelled all around the world, we decided to come home. Starting Monday, we spend the week of our Sense of Place Philly scratching the surface of all the incredible music our home city has produced in the past, and particularly right now.
Philadelphia is having a musical moment. There are so many factors that support that. We asked our WXPN staff what they loved about our city and three things came up over and over. The parks and open space: Philadelphia is home to Fairmount Park a giant system of green space. The neighborhoods: affordable housing abounds whether you live in Fishtown, West Philadelphia or Mt Airy and we love our neighborhoods. The third item? Why, beer, of course. Philadelphia is craft brew heaven.
The new album by Philly electronic artist RJD2 and local rapper Sugar Tongue Slim was already a dream collaboration, but add in one of our favorite local soul singer-songwriters, Amos Lee? Wow.
The first ever Key Fest is just around the corner, with three nights worth of impressive local artists curated by The Key kicking off at MilkBoy starting April 23.
The Key is excited to announce the inaugural Key Fest, taking place at MilkBoy on April 23rd to April 25th. The three nights of local music will showcase a variety of genres that thrive in Philadelphia, from hip hop and pop punk to singer-songwriter and folk rock.
The opening night will feature sets by indie punk duo Slingshot Dakota, XPN Fest alums Commonwealth Choir and power pop trio Hurry, followed by the folkier side of the city on Friday with Dylan Jane, Rosu Lup and The Lawsuits. Key Fest wraps up on Saturday with a look at the hip-hop and R&B scenes, represented by Jacqueline Constance, Brielle , Tiani Victoria andSugar Tongue Slim. Additional special guests are still waiting to be announced, so stay tuned for updates.
A WXPN Member pre-sale is taking place on Thursday 3/12, with general public, single-day tickets releasing 3/13 at 10:00 a.m. A limited number of three-day passes are also available.