Photo Credit: Neely
Phat Nerdz
In hip hop, while many individual acts have risen to stardom, it is often collectives that are able to shape and mold the genre into something new. In Milwaukee, groups like House of M, Rusty Pelicans, Black Elephant and more have cemented their legacies from doing something unique that stood out above the rest, and current act Phat Nerdz could be the next in line to do so.
Made up of six members, consisting of both rappers and in-house producers, the cooperative is a force to be reckoned with, developing an internet-culture influenced style akin to groups like Odd Future, who put the world of hip hop on notice during their run. While putting out music as a group, the members have been known to release solo music as well, and splinter off into fractions for collaborative projects, like the latest from Nile and Mighty Morphin’ Verge, “Not A Crowd In The Sky.” The five-song EP serves as a crash course in the dynamic of Phat Nerdz, with two of the founding members trading verses over production that doesn’t necessarily chase the trends of contemporary radio-friendly music.
“We just want to create and put out the music that we think is best” said Nile. “We’re just blessed that what we’ve been doing is what people have been vibing with, really.”
With the sound switching up from one track to the next, there is a versatility that comes across, largely thanks to the number of cooks in the kitchen.
“We’ve been focused on crafting our sound for the last year and a half” Nile explained. “Everybody kind of plays their part, from finding samples to doing their own thing. It’s sort of a 50/50 split, but everyone has been coming into their own.”
The next generation of local hip hop will likely be ushered in by a pack of young artists creating their own sound. Fortunately, Phat Nerdz are already in the process of doing that.
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