Phillip Morris is a local MC who has spent the last four years promoting his conscious, often controversial, style of hip-hop. Growing up on Chicago's West Side, Morris was influenced early on by his parents' tastes in funk, jazz, R&B and hip-hop, which helped lay down a foundation for a refined sense of music appreciation. It wasn't until 2004, though, that Morris finally made his presence felt by performing at some of the city's most unforgiving open mics. Morris has released two solo albums since then and his latest, The Process of Addiction Has Its Costs, puts America under a microscope as he criticizes the country's destructive reliance on oil, money and war. Centerstage had an opportunity to sit down with Morris and rap about his development as an artist and where he sees himself in 2009.
Tell me about where you grew up and how you first got into MCing.
I grew up on the West Side of Chicago, right by Division & Austin. My parents used to bump all types of old-school funk, jazz, R&B and even a little hip-hop. So even back in the day, songs like "Rapper's Delight" and "The Crown" by Gary Byrd were standard on the playlist, and of course my parents had fun watching me recite the lyrics. I was always a fan of hip-hop, but it wasn't until high school that I began following it more closely. With a huge appreciation for the art form, but no real skill developed, I started writing rhymes in high school as a joke. I didn't really start taking it seriously until the aftermath of an intense acid trip in college. After that I started writing rhymes all the time, but it wasn't until late 2004 early 2005 when I actually hit the scene and started going to open mics.
What were some of them?
Thursday night Floetry at Subterranean, and Wednesday night open mics at Cafe Mestizo. Those were the spots where I really broke out of my shell, and became more comfortable with my style and freestyling in front of crowds. Next was the Tuesday night hip-hop open mics at Subterranean, followed by the 2 a.m. open mic across the street at The Note. The first time I ever got onstage at Subterranean was huge for me, because it's a very put-up or shut-up open mic, and people would often get booed if they sucked. I got a great reaction from the crowd, and I was relatively unknown, so I began to get a little bit of recognition. Another memorable experience was going to The Note, and the host, Shadowmaster MC, made me freestyle over like four beats in a row...a straight marathon. My lungs were dying by the end of it, but I still maintained the freestyle for the entire time I was on the spot. I impressed a lot of people including myself that night. Then I got a spot hosting open mics at Innjoy on Division and Damen. That really cemented my status as a Chicago MC, and before I knew it I started getting opportunities to do shows from my reputation as a freestyle artist.
You've worked with a bunch of local MC's too. Who are they and how have they helped your progression?
To name a few, I've done a lot of work with Awdazcate (pronounced Audacity), who was the one who really started helping me get my own shows. I also met a countless number of MCs/promoters through knowing him. Artists like Pugs Atomz, Ang13 and Dynamic Vibrations taught me a lot about stage presence just from watching them perform. The importance of eye contact, and just releasing and letting go onstage. Smokee Basement, Number 2 and White Jesus helped me develop a strong fanbase in the western suburbs. Phero redeemed my faith in the younger generation of hip-hop, and helped me expand my fanbase on the South Side. I know I'm leaving out a lot, but a countless number of MCs have helped my progression by both showing me effective ways to rock a crowd, and also a plethora of things that I should avoid while performing.
I've noticed that you've performed in Pilsen a few times, which isn't known for its hip-hop shows. What's that scene like?
I love the Pilsen scene. Spots like Cafe Mestizo's Wednesday night open mic hosted by Lower Class Odyssey and Zocalo Urbano have given Pilsen artists venues to perform. I see a lot of socially aware MCs/poets coming out of Pilsen, discussing the Latin struggle in general, gentrification issues, discussing what's going on around them. I'm just glad to see it on a bigger scale, whether it be a house party, coffee shop or a venue. I actually held my video release party in Pilsen, in the courtyard of an apartment complex on 19th Street. There's a huge, Shakespearean gazebo-type stage back there, and a lot of people, even Pilsen residents, had no idea it was back there. We threw a huge party that was highly successful. Until the cops broke it up (laughs).
You produced your debut album, Instrumentality, yourself. Was producing something that you just recently picked up or is it something that's developed along with your rhyming?
I have been producing for years. It's definitely something that has developed, although I have mainly focused on the writing, while the producing has taken a backseat. I started producing out of necessity. I needed backdrops to write to. I've always been a huge fan of being a jack-of-multiple-trades, so I started teaching myself how to use Fruity Loops, Acid, Reason, etc. I love to produce, and it's good to know, because some of my songs need that personal touch. Yet it's very time-consuming, and I felt it was taking away from the same time and energy I used to write. For my new album I only produced a handful of the tracks, and reached out to various producers to acquire production.
Tell me about that album from a conceptual standpoint.
Instrumentality was really an album to show people what I was capable of. Conceptually, it's the fusion of the mind with instruments; finding where my voice fit in as an instrument in the medley of sound. I was still finding myself during the period when this was made, so you can see a progression taking place as you listen to the album. My own instrumentals mixed with my own thought process, ya know? There's a mixture of politics, humor, romance, personal conflict, experimental wordplay. I tried to make it as well-rounded as I could at the time.
The new album is called The Process of Addiction Has Its Costs. This album I think really defines me well. As I mentioned, I only produced a handful of tracks, so I really had time to sit and develop the way I write, where I take breaths, vocal intonation; utilizing my voice even more as an instrument. I sing a lot more on this album. I think it's easy to tell that I am a lot more comfortable with my voice, subject matter, and myself in general on this album. I would say conceptually, the album discusses addiction in its various forms: petroleum, war, violence, technology, love, money, happiness, pain, our favorite artists, a partying lifestyle, etc. That isn't the only thing focused upon in the music, but I definitely see that as a subtle underlying theme.
To me, this album is lyrically a lot more fun. I wrote a song about making love to a computer, for crying out loud. I experiment even more with different rhyming patterns, voices, accents, and enunciation. I think I do a lot better job of transcribing the energy of a live show onto recorded tracks, which a lot of artists struggle with. There's a lot more politically charged subject matter on this album too, as I have learned more, read more, watched more documentaries, so my observations and personal opinion is weaved together with trying to paint concise mental portraits of the issues I speak about, and that I feel need to be addressed.
Hip-hop nowadays seems to avoid controversial topics. What's your stance on that?
I would like to see more controversial topics and opinions thrown into songs. People seem to be scared to break out of their shells though-to be original. We all have a different way of thinking, and a unique nature. I don't feel that artists should be afraid to express that individuality. Being a good artist does require reaching a common ground with a listener, but an artist shouldn't be afraid to challenge the listener's way of thinking or to bring a different point of view to the table. I feel that it's my responsibility as an MC to do that; provide a new way of thinking. That, in turn, is one of the things that set an MC apart from the crowd.
What neighborhood do you live in now, and how has that helped your creative growth?
I currently live in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago. I don't know how it has specifically helped fuel my creative growth, as I already absorbed so much from growing up close to here. It's just provided another vantage point to observe the West Side of the city and my surroundings. I lived out in Bellwood for a while prior to this, so living in this neighborhood puts me a lot closer to the scene.
Is there any place in Chicago that is a favorite of yours, both as leisure and professionally?
I really love hanging out and performing at Quennect 4 Gallery. It's an underground collective that doubles as both an art gallery on the first floor as well as a performance space in the basement, which is adorned with innovative artwork and revolutionary murals. I seriously felt at home from the first time I walked into the place, which is odd because when I was apartment hunting, I was trying to get an apartment directly above Quennect4 before I even knew it existed. I don't believe in coincidence, so I almost feel as if the energy of the spot was drawing me towards that location. But yeah, Q4 is definitely the spot to be.
What do you have coming up for 2009?
In 2009 I will be continuing to line up more shows out of town, and get some proper tours going to expand the radius of influence that I have. I will still be doing Chicago shows, but definitely not as many. Be on the lookout for a Phillip Morris mixtape, more collaborations with various artists, and most likely I'll shoot another music video. The Roof Top Hip Hop documentary that I'm in will be out in 2009 as well. I plan on including more live instrumentation and innovative ideas as a part of my stage show as too, in an effort to continue to keep moving the crowd.
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