Phillip Morris. A man who has no idea what the word "cool" means, in any sense other than temperature. A revolutionary thinker trapped inside of an emcee’s frame. After years of honing his rhyme skills, in 2004 he hit the scene, going to any open mic he...
Phillip Morris. A man who has no idea what the word "cool" means, in any sense other than temperature. A revolutionary thinker trapped inside of an emcee’s frame. After years of honing his rhyme skills, in 2004 he hit the scene, going to any open mic he could find, and in 2005 he began writing and recording his first album while still frequenting various open mics across Chicago. This led to Phillip receiving a hosting spot at Innjoy's open mic alongside fellow Chicago emcees Awdazcate (pronounced audacity) and Readymade
The mixture of Phillip's unique voice, complex rhyme schemes, anomalous subject matter, coherent freestyles, and comprehensibility forced the underground hip-hop community to abruptly take notice. Released in early 2006, his debut album (the self-produced "Instrumentality") featured a wide variety of styles and subject matter. It includes the sharp-tongued social commentary of "Divided States", the widely felt ballad for the emotionally battered woman entitled "World of Deceit", and the bewildering combination of lyrical acrobatics & borderline psychosis laced upon "The Nightmare Before Christmas". This timeless piece of art was eagerly received by fans, helping catapult Phillip into a steady cascade of live performances at various bars, venues, and political events. These events include
Casa Central Fundraiser @ Ice Factory - 4.22.0
4th Annual Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Month @ Morseland - 7.1.0
Pilsen Alliance Fundraiser w/Green Party @ Casa Aztlan - 10.7.0
Ears and Eyes Festival 2006 @ Silvies Lounge - 12.10.0
Proyecto Mural Fundraiser @ Cafe Mestizo - 2.3.0
Rice & Beats Fundraiser @ Zocalo Urbano - 2.24.0
Solidarity Not Charity Fundraiser @ Carthage Cafe - 3.25.0
5th Annual Chicago Hip Hop Heritage Month @ Elastic - 7.1.0
Palmer Square Arts Festival - 8.11.0
Bands Not Bombs: DuPage Concert for Peace - 9.15.0
Stop the War Now!! Antiwar Rally - 10.27.07 (Chicago Branch
Ears and Eyes Festival 2007 @ Subterranean - 12.8.0
Peoples Weekly World Annual Fundraiser - 12.9.0
Looptopia @ Fine Arts Building - 5.2.0
Swedish Days Festival w/Dubasaurus (Geneva, IL) - 6.19.0
Socialism 2008 Conference @ Crowne Plaza Hotel - 6.21.0
Witness against War 2008 @ Federal Plaza - 7.12.0
Haymarket Books Fundraiser @ The Viaduct Theater - 12.13.0
Phillip has also been featured in the newly released Chicago documentary entitled "I Am Hip Hop" (
http://www.chicagohiphopdocumentary.com) directed by Geoff Harkness, and will be one of the 9 main stars of the upcoming documentary "Roof Top Hip Hop" (
http://www.rooftophiohop.com) directed by Paul Moriarty Jr. and produced by Oliver Holmberg
Along the way, he began collaborating with the Tomorrow Music Orchestra. He often does collaborations onstage alongside the TMO, and also with cellist Lilianna Zofia and violinist Hanna Rae. Both of whom add a dynamic element to his already vivacious stage performance
With the 2009 release of his new album "The Process of Addiction Has its Costs", Phillip carries on his tradition of pushing not only hip hop, but music in general, to its furthest limits both lyrically and conceptually. Songs like "The Symphony", "A Real Patriot", and "Behind Every Fortune There's a Sweatshop" heavily focus on social injustices, motives behind perpetuating military conflicts, and the governments involvement in drug trafficking. Keystrokes replace the hihats, maintaining the tempo on "Death by Cubicle", as Phillip vocalizes the frustration that goes hand in hand with an
Office Space type of environment. "The MILF Song" is a twisted ballad fixated upon an obsession with an aging love interest. "May I?" finds Mr. Morris spitting commentary and humor in rapid fire succession while the chorus expresses that his target audience includes nerds, thugs, revolutionaries, even 45+ caucasian women. The diverse blend of songs that populate this 19 track album displays the tremendous expansion and development that has occurred since his last project
Always looking to the future, Phillip continues to make original music as far from the norm as possible, keeping crowds entertained with the humorous nature of his complex rhymes while not being afraid to speak out against the inequalities that continue to occur and the seeminly inherent apathy within this generation
Website:
http://phillipmorris.uMyspace Page:
http://myspace.com/phillipmorriEmail:
phillipmorris420@yahoo.com
