PHILLY BRED: SON OF THE 215

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA | SON OF THE 215

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“EVERYTHING CHANGES, NOTHING STAYS THE SAME. AS AN ARTIST BEFORE SOCIAL MEDIA, I LEARNED YOU HAVE TO ADAPT, IF YOU CAN’T ADAPT IT'S NOT THE GAME FOR YOU.”

- SON OF THE 215

VALIDATED: BEING BORN AND RAISED IN PHILADELPHIA, WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP HOP CULTURE?

SON OF THE 215: SCHOOLY D, STEADY B, COOL C, GLAMOROUS LIFE... THAT ERA WAS CRAZY. 

VALIDATED: YOU RECENTLY WON AN AWARD FOR PHILLY’S TOP UNDERGROUND ARTIST OF THE YEAR, WHERE DOES THIS ACHIEVEMENT LAND ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?

SON OF THE 215: #1 MAN, THAT MEANS EVERYTHING, PHILLY IS MY HOME. TO GET SALUTED BY MY HOMETOWN MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME.  

VALIDATED: YOU BEGAN YOUR RAP CAREER UNDER THE NAME “D. BILLZ”, WHAT PROMPTED THE NAME CHANGE?

SON OF THE 215: I JUST WANTED TO BE SEPERATE MYSELF, A COUPLE OTHER D. BILLZ WAS POPPING UP AND I WANTED TO STAND ALONE, BUT “SON OF THE 215” WAS ALWAYS AROUND.

VALIDATED: COMING FROM PHILLY, “THE HOME OF THE SPITTERS”, HOW DID YOU GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR AND BREAKTHROUGH AS AN ARTIST IN YOUR CITY?

SON OF THE 215: HAVING A GOOD MACHINE, 1122 MMG PLAYED A HEAVY ROLE WITH MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING, AND I STAYED WORKING BUILDING MY CONNECTIONS, AND SEIZING EVERY OPPORTUNITY GIVEN. 

VALIDATED: AS AN ARTIST WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO HIP HOP?

SON OF THE 215: STAY TRUE TO THE CULTURE, AND STAY TRUE TO MY CITY. BRING THE PHILADELPHIA SOUND THE WORLD KNOWS AND LOVES.

VALIDATED: HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START AS AN ARTIST?

SON OF THE 215: MIDDLE SCHOOL TALENT SHOWS IS WHEN I FELL IN LOVE WITH HIP HOP.

VALIDATED: YOU CAME UP IN AN ERA PRIOR TO SOCIAL MEDIA, WHERE YOU HAD TO SHOW AND PROVE, DO YOU FEEL ARTISTS TODAY HAVE IT TOO EASY TO GET ON?

SON OF THE 215: NO, EVERYTHING CHANGES, NOTHING STAYS THE SAME. AS AN ARTIST BEFORE SOCIAL MEDIA, I LEARNED YOU HAVE TO ADAPT, IF YOU CAN’T ADAPT IT'S NOT THE GAME FOR YOU.

VALIDATED: “VETERANS DAY 1” AND “VETERANS DAY 2”, WHAT’S THE MEANING BEHIND THAT?

SON OF THE 215: MY BIRTHDAY IS ON VETERANS DAY, AND I FEEL LIKE I AM A VET IN MY CITY.

VALIDATED: WHICH ARTIST INFLUENCED YOUR FLOW AND WHAT IF ANYTHING DID YOU “BORROW” FROM THEM?

SON OF THE 215: PHILADELPHIA FREEWAY, HIS UNORTHODOX FLOW ON THE BEAT, THAT SWITCH UP WAS KEY... BEING VERSATILE. 

VALIDATED: WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE GOTTEN FROM A VETERAN ARTIST THAT STUCK WITH YOU?

SON OF THE 215: KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN AND KEEP WORKING. 

VALIDATED: WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 5 TO 10 YEARS IN THE GAME?

SON OF THE 215: HAVE A COUPLE BUSINESSES, MOLD UPCOMING ARTISTS AND CONTINUE TO BUILD THAT NEW PHILLY.

VALIDATED: YOUR COMPANY 215TH, LLC, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?

SON OF THE 215: IT’S A COMPANY THAT DOES PROMOTION, MARKETING, CLOTHING... EVERYTHING THAT IS PHILADELPHIA.

VALIDATED: WHAT’S GENUINE SUPPORT TO YOU?

SON OF THE 215: SUPPORT DON'T COST YOU NOTHING... IT’S AS SIMPLE AS PEOPLE THAT WANT TO SEE YOU WIN. 

VALIDATED: HOW DO YOU SEPARATE YOUR PERSONAL LIFE FROM THE MUSIC?

SON OF THE 215: TRY TO INCORPORATE THEM HAND AND HAND. MY ENTIRE FAMILY HELPS OUT, BUT I MAKE TIME TO SPEND WITH MY FAMILY OUTSIDE OF MUSIC. 

VALIDATED: YOUR UPCOMING PROJECT “S.O.N”, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?

SON OF THE 215: CLASSIC... FROM THE FEATURES TO THE PRODUCTION, TO THE MARKETING; EVERYTHING IS A STEP UP. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE WORLD TO HEAR IT. SUCCESS OR NOTHING!

VALIDATED: WHAT'S NEXT FOR SON OF THE 215?

SON OF THE 215: MORE MUSIC, MORE GRINDING, MORE PHILLY, MORE LIFE...

VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS?

SON OF THE 215: @SON_OF_THE_215 ON EVERYTHING.