RealYungPhil, Mud Couldn't Imagine (2023)
Police brutality in the U.S. has a long history, particularly regarding the enforcement of segregation and discrimination laws against African-Americans and other minorities. During the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, instances of police violence against protesters were widely covered by the press and caused wide-spread outrage.
In more recent years, several high-profile cases brought national and international attention to police brutality in the U.S., for instance the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner—both in 2014—and George Floyd in 2020, which sparked major protests and movements including Black Lives Matter.
A case that attracted less attention was the death of 20-year-old Zoe Dowdell, who was fatally shot by Connecticut police officers in 2017 during an attempted arrest. Five cops fired 28 bullets at Dowdell’s car, four of which hit him. Later the policemen were cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal affairs review.
Dowdell was a rapper who went by the name Gangstalicious. He had a solid fan-base on YouTube as well as in the local community, which is known for cultivating a dance style called dummin out. A great example of Gangstalicious’ talent is the party hit “Do That Dance 2”, a collaboration with fellow rapper RealYungPhil.
At the point of the track’s release, Phil was still a rookie in the scene. But a short while later—after relocating to LA—his career started to take off, the tragic death of his collaborator and friend providing the spark. “Once my mans passed, I just wanted to keep his legacy going,” Phil said. “It changed my whole perception on life. I had to turn the music up.”
More recently, Phil teamed up with Swedish producer Mud on several occasions—for example on the laid-back track “Couldn’t Imagine”. The song is an empowering affair, Phil spitting at one point: “I’m just tryna make it happen. Made it this far and they couldn’t imagine.”
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