They Are Brooklyn Rappers Now

NVSV and Jvggy Hendrix release their collaborative album.

“The Lords” by NVSV and Jvggy Hendrix

Two young men used Pittsburgh as their hub, building themselves, letting experiences mold them, patiently studying, and only producing content when they felt ready to do so, aware of the times when art fell on deaf ears in the Steel City. Just like any creative person in a small town, the great migration to massive cultural hubs like New York City or Los Angeles called to them while they woke and while they slept. But the subjects, Jvggy (pronounced Jiggy) Hendrix and NVSV (pronounced NASA), never balked at their set up in The ‘Burgh. Both of them rappers, Jvggy from Swissvale nine miles from Downtown Pittsburgh and NVSV from Baltimore, Md., met at the studio space and music collective that NVSV partnered with in the west end of Pittsburgh— Library Collaborative. Jvggy “came in for some sessions and we’ve been tight ever since. Not on no funny type shit, but he’s my protégés. Dead ass. And he enjoys the same things in hip hop as I do. But he also teaches me what the kids are up to,” the senior NVSV said about his younger Jvggy.

NVSV and Jvggy bloomed their studio engineering relationship into frequent collaborators on each other’s records. By my count, they have eight songs together that we know about spread out across Soundcloud releases and digestible extended plays on Apple Music. Their styles mix well, especially over classic boom bap beats fit only for true emcees to conquer. They sound very much like the rap that currently emanates from the Griselda fellas out of Buffalo, N.Y. “Listening to West and Benny,” NVSV admits while he crushes his own version of the brown mafioso, speaking a cadence so gritty and intentional in the song “Deadstock,” which also features Jvggy. “Come from where the Stillers be. Live by where them killers be,” Hendrix went for his city.

During the duos gestation period, NVSV moved to Brooklyn in the back half of 2019. “NY influenced me from birth. The city is hip hop… I think the tone of my music now is a direct reflection of my life here in Brooklyn now. I don’t think I would have been able to achieve that same sound while living anywhere else,” he said to ITR over Instagram DM. Also answering the call to the Big Apple was Jvggy. “New York has given me an opportunity to be more myself,” he said, going onto mention how he resonates with sounds from Griselda too and “of course Mac Miller,” who you can certainly hear tones of in Jvggy’s “Dirty Tapes” volumes. Both rappers frame their own testimonies technically through a classic East Coast lyricism for a case study on rap, and their work together is so exciting once you recognize how they have masterfully leveraged the techniques mimicking gun sounds and bars over jazzy sonics like Griselda. Do yourself a favor. Listen to “DR BIRDS,” and then play “Sammy’s.”

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A post shared by the one and only. (@itsnvsv) on Jul 4, 2020 at 4:01pm PDT

Today, NVSV and Jvggy released an album together entitled “The Lords” invoking the street. “Gangs were created to protect its people from outside forces that were destroying or vandalizing the community. Often Gangs were met by rival gangs battling over those same streets. Order was created due to unity and street justice. NVSV and Jvggy Hendrix explore this lifestyle, its pros and its cons,” read the album description on Bandcamp. Skits from the 1974 film “The Education of Sonny Carson” filter throughout their album too, emphasizing a “unified black culture,” Jvggy wrote proudly. Until media owned by white people misunderstood and “created negative preconceived notions about” these organized groups like the Black Panther Party, calling them gangs and police dispersed them with fatal bullets. Importantly, NVSV DM’d me Bobby Seale’s speech where he reiterated Huey P. Newton’s basic 10 Point Program of The Black Panther Party. All Black people have ever fought for is the practical defense of their human rights. We have to do that in the face of oppression from white people every day all the time— housing, education, healthcare, workforce, politics, law.

“Many of these ideas aren’t new or revolutionary ideas. We just have to take action,” NVSV finished.

Pk Delay Successfully Releases A Song Every Day in 2019

Pk Delay via Instagram

When you start something, finish it. See it through for your self-discipline. Learn the power of holding yourself accountable. Feel how great you feel when you complete something you’ve put your mind to.

Rapper Pk Delay has achieved a feat. The 25-year-old Pittsburgh native released a song-a-day the entire year of 2019. That’s 365 songs. Can you name something you did consistently every single day for 365 days? What about for 100 days?

Celebrate Pk for keeping his word and expanding upon his work ethic. During video games of Madden and NBA 2K20, while Pk made life very rough for me as I played and lost against him twice, he took time to detail his thoughts about his year-long process.

Read Mr. 365’s interview below, and at the end, listen to the playlist Pk curated himself of his favorite songs he released this year.

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InTheRough: Describe where you were personally and professionally when you made your hit song “Fed Up.”

Pk Delay: I was still living with my parents when I did “Fed Up.” I actually did “Fed Up” maybe four years ago for real. I just sat on it. I was just ‘fed up.’ I feel like everything was the same. It was a feeling I was feeling.

ITR: Have you ever quit anything before, like gave up on something?

Pk: I rage quit on video games.

ITR: [laughs] He said rage quit.

Pk: Yeah, I rage quit in Madden. I don’t really quit anything though. I don’t quit sports. I try to quit bad habits and shit. I quit smoking.

ITR: How long has that been?

Pk: Two years-three years.

ITR: Do you have a favorite song of your 365?

Pk: I like “IM HERE.” I like “EVIL VS YOUNGER SELF.” I like that shit where I get real deep and spiritual with it. I know you were a big “No Lil Pups” fan.

ITR: I was a big “No Lil Pups” fan.

Pk: Which song do you like now?

ITR: I like that track you have with $toney and Pet Zebra— “The Boy.”

What has dropping a song every day for a year taught you about yourself?

Pk: Stick to my word. Stay loyal to myself. If I say I’m going to do something, do that shit no matter what it is. I want people to say anything that came out of my mouth is something I did. Me saying something so bold like 365 songs in a year I’m going to make it happen. Stay dedicated. I had all of those qualities, but the main thing is sticking to things I say I will do.

ITR: What’s your deal with jeans. You have a lot of song titles with the word ‘jeans.’ You got “My Jeans” and “Skinny Jean Thuggin’.”

Pk: I got a lot of jeans in my wardrobe. The “My Jeans” song was because I bought a new pair of jeans and somebody told me they were looking hard. I always make songs about clothes and swag. The “Skinny Jean Thuggin’” I just did that ‘cause I like skinny jeans.

ITR: That whole project—”Pittsburgh City Limits”— was hard.

Pk: I fuck with that heavy.

ITR: It was quality all around. Everybody on that project should have been on that project and everybody brought their A-game. One800 brought the production value.

Pk: They brought that out.

ITR: I noticed you’ve uploaded some older tracks you once released years ago, like “Ain’t Nothin” with Slicky Williams.

Pk: Yeah, I know I have a lot of fans who haven’t heard some of that stuff. Sometimes I hop into the catalog I’m like, “I know niggas never heard this. Let me throw that shit in there.” [Pk sings “Ain’t Nothin” and I join in]. Is that what you got going on? Is that what you’re into? Slick always do that shit.

ITR: What, delete songs?

Pk: Yeah, but I respect it. I wish I could do that.

ITR: I mean you’re about to with all these songs from this year that you will delete on January 1, 2020.

Pk: Yup. Put a whole project up. Take it down.

ITR: Talk about the producers you work with.

Pk: My main guys for real: dirtbag, DV and Bill$up. DV is the main one for real. He supplies me with the most heat. Then there’s the ID Labs fellas. As far as picking the music, I just go with what I feel when I hear it. I like bass. I like shit I can get emotional on.

ITR: Yeah, I’ve seen you drop a lot of freestyles.

Pk: A lot of freestyles off the top of my head.

ITR: How do you feel now since you’ve reached your goal of releasing a song a day for a year straight?

Pk: Feels like it’s time to restore myself.

Songs for a Mosh Pit at Creatives Drink 10 (Playlist)

Pittsburgh could have a rage on its hands. The city’s hottest rappers have a chance to rock a notable venue with mosh pits and good energy from a packed audience. Music will motivate people to attend the show on July 25, 2019, thanks to Creatives Drink 10— a free-of-charge culture consumption fair.

Cody Baker and Chancelor Humphrey, the founders of Creatives Drink, repeatedly create environments conducive to positive interactions with cool people and businesses to consumers.

With music at the forefront this time, they partnered with music sharing database Songlink for a local artist showcase where Pittsburgh hip-hop has a place to celebrate. Other local aspects of C.D. 10 are compelling, like the event’s sponsorship by streetwear stalwart Shop412, or the funny hosts Drinking Partners. The potential energy already emanating from this event just off the musical star power highlights here though.

Flyer by Hounds

Rappers like Pk Delay, My Favorite Color and Slicky Williams should navigate their catalogs to present themselves and excite the crowd. Fans should hear Choo Jackson’s upcoming hit, “Chevy.” LiveFromTheCity has an opportunity to back up his statement as the best rapper in the ‘Burgh. Benji., Clara Kent and Mars Jackson should create a winning streak tying together sold-out hometown shows at acclaimed venues such as Stage AE for C.D. 10. The co-founder of Soulection Andre Power will headline a DJ set too.

Listen to this playlist to anticipate the event. The selection is charged with a party in mind where mosh pits open up and we all smash together in a ring of fun when the bass drops. Every C.D. 10 artist in the showcase features on the playlist, so let the party ensue.

Rome Fortune Ft. Masiwei - Can't be the one (Music Video by Glasshead)

Music videos by Glasshead are like theatric sets built in RuneScape universes where the Internet exists as heaven with heart emojis fluttering through your face when walking through the gates.

Glasshead continues their line of work with rapper Rome Fortune. Previously creating a video for Rome Fortune and Toro Y Moi on the “Hoodrich Disco” single from their partner EP self-entitled “Toro Y Rome Vol. 1,” Glasshead now presents visuals for Fortune, a Chinese rapper named Masiwei of The Higher Brothers group, and lauded producer Kaytranada. Their song “Can’t be the one” is admittedly sad in its honesty. “I can’t be the one for you. I wish I could, but it’s not true,” Rome Fortune sings in the chorus. The music is a club tune though, which listeners could gather from the playful metaphysical scenes pairing with the track.

Seeing the colorful graphic, digital edits by Glasshead and the great music to your ears is enough to absorb. People should be ready to attend the “Who’s Laughing Now?” album release show by Pittsburgh rapper Hippy Swizzy because Glasshead graces the performance bill along with DJ-producer Babyt33th and other artists. That show is July 27, 2019 in The ‘Burgh at 408 Finance Street.

Long Live Cap Jazzo

Preparation Lands Benji. Opportunities Across the Country

Benji. | Photo by Alex Young

An orange round highlight bounces back and forth across a hazel brown table. A leather strip stretches the width of the table’s middle creating a net. Two Asian guys wearing glasses match each other in ping-pong. Tall green plants with wide leaves like a Philodendron or Fiddle Leaf Fig line the fresh space with light hardwood floors and cushioned wooden bleachers sectioning off a cafe space. Soon, the floor would fill with bodies sitting on tapestry rugs and the bleachers with cross-legged onlookers ears open.

The audience sings back to the performer repeatedly as he strums a bass line. “Show me love on the way down.” The lyrics were meant to be sung at Benji.’s funeral as they lowered his casket into the dirt. Going through a period of suicidal thoughts, Benji. can smile now because he’s alive.

Top left: Slim Tha DJ, Benji., Julz Powell, and Redd | Top right: Slim Tha DJ and Julz Powell | Bottom left: Julz Powell, Slim Tha Dj, and Benji. | Bottom right: The audience for Benji.’s performance at the Navy Yard WeWork facility for SoFar Sounds D.C. | Photos by Alex Young

Benji. (don’t forget the period) plays a show for SoFar Sounds in Washington, D.C. at the WeWork shared workspace. His bandmates Slim Tha DJ and drummer Julz Powell join him in front of the engaged crowd. “This is a place that knows music,” Benji. says about the D.C. audience. “They can easily offer honest critique… If they don’t like it, I’m not going to quit, but there must be something wrong. It’s almost like an audition.”

Two months before he worried about what the District thought about his music, Benji. was selling out the iconic Mr. Smalls Theatre, a venue in Millvale, Pa. a few minutes from his native Pittsburgh, along with fellow musicians Clara Kent, Isaiah Small, and Mars Jackson. The four-pronged bill created an atmosphere unmatched for the “Pittsburgh’s Very Own” concert showing strength in the city’s music community. Benji. dove from the stage into the swelled crowd. Redd, the photographer named Randall Coleman tasked with making Benji. look as good as possible, says that was one of his favorite moments of his friend. Or when Gucci Mane reposted Benji.’s song “Mimosa” to his SoundCloud. Although, that night in February was a watermark for Benji.’s success. “I had confidence that at some point I would’ve sold a venue out,” Benji. says. The show at Mr. Smalls “acted as a launching pad,” Redd adds.

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A post shared by R E D D (@reddvision) on Mar 15, 2019 at 10:18am PDT

“I sprang into action to work harder,” Benji. says. Consistent performance opportunities outside of The ‘Burgh presented themselves after his local success. He traveled to New York City for SoFar Sounds shows there. Following D.C., Benji. hits Chicago. In May, he’s part of the Rhythm N Blooms music festival in Knoxville, Tenn. In June, he joins Reviving Real’s music festival called The Block Party in Youngstown, Ohio. Benji. took to Twitter to announce he’ll be in Los Angeles in July. He offers advice. “If other Pittsburgh artists would learn how to present themselves in other capacities… it’s so easy [to perform in other cities].”

All it takes is preparation. “You gotta be a student of the game. You gotta be a student of yourself,” Benji. says to ITR before performing at SoFar Sounds D.C. “Oh, man. We watch game tapes forever. We watch game tape, bro.” Watching old show footage, Benji. and his bandmates pick up ways to improve. “We have a level” they always need to be at to present themselves properly Slim Tha DJ says. “Be honest with yourself. Would you be ready to literally blowup over night,” Benji. asks the music community.

“We don’t wait for an opportunity to get better. We just continue to get better every day.”

— Benji.

Using music to help other areas of his life, Benji. spreads his message across the map in 2019. He’ll be ready to follow up his uplifting “Smile, You’re Alive!” album with his “Water Cup” record in September.

Read the full conversation ITR had with Benji. moments before his performance in D.C. below.

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InTheRough: What do you add to Benji.’s performance?

SlimThaDJ: The Band, Julz, both Joshes, and I, we have a level.

ITR: How many shows have you guys done outside of Pittsburgh?

Benji.: This will be our fifth total and then Chicago in two weeks will be six.

ITR: You’re going to Tennessee too?

Benji.: Yeah, that’ll be in May. That’s going to be crazy.

ITR: Why do you say that?

Benji.: First off, we get to play with Tank and the Bangas and that’s one of my favorite groups. We’ll be in a new spot for the first time and actually play like a big festival, you know what I’m saying, a festival that actually means something to the community. It’s called Rhythm N Blooms. We’re playing in Knoxville. It’s kind of like South by. A bunch of venues in one little area. A bunch of shows going on at the same time. I’ll be playing all three days, so I’ll probably be at three different venues. There’s a main stage too. It’ll be good to really get out there and spread. Youngstown in June.

ITR: Reviving Real?

Benji.: Yeah, The Block Party. That will be fun as hell.

ITR: How does it feel to be sitting in Pittsburgh and then you get booked for a show in another city?

Benji.: It feels great. I love to travel. It reminds me of college traveling over the weekend for a track meet. It was something to look forward to; something to anticipate; something to get ready for. As soon as we get the booking, call all the guys and prep. Get my mental ready to see what it will look like and feel like.

ITR: What’s involved in that prep?

Benji.: Kind of like some Dr. Strange shit. Thinking of all the possibilities and outcomes and scenarios trying to produce the best possible one. First and foremost, I’ll figure out can I bring the band up. If I can bring the band, we’re prepping for a whole different kind of show. If it’s just me and Slim, it’s bro and bro. It can go from that to going over my music or looking at old show footage.

Julz Powell, Benji., and Slim Tha DJ warming up before their SoFar Sounds D.C. set. | Photo by Alex Young

ITR: Oh, you watch film?

Benji.: Oh, man. We watch game tapes forever. We watch game tape, bro. Hell yeah. Especially this past one from Mr. Smalls. I watched that one the next day.

ITR: So what do you takeaway from that?

Benji.: Everything. You gotta be a student of the game. You gotta be a student of yourself. Period point blank. What I look for is, first and foremost, what I did wrong. How long can I go until I notice something that could’ve been better. Did it feel right? I try to watch it as a fan. Did it feel like a show? Did it feel like you did your best and you put on a good performance? If you can say, “Yeah,” then great. If not, then back to the drawing board. We watch mad game tape of everything. Events, competitions, when Slim deejays.

ITR: Drummer vs. DJ?

Benji.: Yeah, we watch all that film. We watch mad Instagram videos. We study. There’s a lot that goes into this prep. It’s not really preparation. It’s a habit. It’s a ritual. It’s something we do because we all want to get better. We don’t wait for an opportunity to get better. We just continue to get better every day. When someone asks us to come up, we’re already there. It’s just a matter of getting us to the venue where we gotta go.

ITR: What’s something after watching the footage from the “Pittsburgh’s Very Own” concert at Mr. Smalls that you don’t want to do today?

Benji.: Crowd surf [laughs].

ITR: Yeah, this would not be the optimal place for you to do that considering there’s no stage for you to jump off.

Benji.: Yeah, I’d be jumping into people.

Benji.’s stage dive during the “Pittsburgh’s Very Own” concert. | Photos by Matt’s Music Mine

ITR: What’s something that went well at that show that you want to keep doing?

Benji.: Control of the audience.

ITR: How do you do that?

Benji.: First off, making sure that we’re on point trying to lock in as soon as possible. Really just making sure everyone is comfortable. How we present ourselves as soon as we sit down and get ready to play. How I speak. How we introduce ourselves. Make sure that they know we’re cool. We know that they’re cool. Try to make sure we’re on the same page energy wise and go from there. Foot on the gas. We prepare our show but everything is still in the moment. We don’t know what’s going to happen when we start going. It’s really reactionary. We’re preparing for the worst with what we’ve prepared. Controlling the atmosphere. It’s our first time here. We want to make sure they know where we come from. At the same time, we have to be mindful. This is something to be proud of.

ITR: What’s something D.C. has to offer you in this atmosphere?

Benji.: This is a place that knows music. They have a culture of music, especially live music. So they know music. Coming to a place like this, it’s almost like an audition. They can easily offer honest critique. They could easily offer a good opinion. If they don’t like it, I’m not going to quit, but there must be something wrong. They definitely have wisdom of music. D.C. has a lot to offer. The texture of this setup having congas, a bass guitar, and a regular guitar. Already that’s authentic. They know exactly what music is all about.

ITR: NPR is based in D.C. and I saw you reached out to some people there to come to your show tonight.

Benji.: I Tweeted at them and she responded. I just shot my shot and she responded. I don’t read much into it other than if she shows up. It’s as simple as that. If you just gotta Tweet at somebody, shoot your shot. She responded and I took full advantage of that. I don’t want to have any expectations of where it might lead to, but it’s an audition.

ITR: How do you control that when something doesn’t go the way you want it to go? How do you control not getting your hopes up?

Benji.: Continue to be realistic. Shoot for the stars, but you also have to know what game you’re playing. If you’re really trying to pop real quick, there’s a game for that. If you’re playing the longevity game, there’s a game for that too. You gotta know exactly what your goals are. Then, just be realistic. What can you do now if someone were to call you right now. What would you do? Be honest with yourself. Would you be ready to literally blowup over night? If not, don’t even think about it. Prepare what you are cable of doing and then learning and teaching yourself new techniques. Acquire new knowledge. Acquire the game. It might come time for a little heat check. Let me shoot my shot. See what I’ve really been doing. Apparently for her to respond to me she might like something She might have done her research. She’s not coming blindly.

ITR: What was it like to taste your first batch of success?

Benji.: When I changed my name, I got better offers and shows. I was making better music easily because I felt more like myself. For real, the moment was “Pittsburgh’s Very Own” and how that went. To be honest, it was a great show for us, but we fucked up a bunch. We were so in the moment in terms of how it turned out that we had to deal with it. We still want bigger shows. After that, the response we got from that from out of town venues it’s like we’re doing it.

ITR: The out of town success came from “Pittsburgh’s Very Own” indirectly?

Benji.: Indirectly because now I can do that in my city. I had confidence that at some point I would’ve sold a venue out. From there, I sprang into action to work harder. How can I grow my pull to get people to travel to Pittsburgh to see me instead of going out of town? We’re making opportunities happen. We’re trying to meet with NPR. I was already on NPR so I already had a little pull there. I’m trying to maximize my potential of meeting people kind of using the little bit of clout I’ve gained with these publications.

ITR: There’s a positivity to clout. People use it in such a negative way, but inherently it’s not a negative word. It’s influence.

Benji.: Exactly. For me, I’ve done some things and gotten somewhere. This isn’t part of being cool. I’m not sweating it. I’m going to keep driving until I end up somewhere.

ITR.: While I was listening to your interview by WYEP that aired on 90.5 WESA, NPR’s station in Pittsburgh, after the “Pittsburgh’s Very Own” concert, the interviewer asked if artists strive to get on magazine covers like Rolling Stone. What value do you see in a big media outlet recognizing your talent?

Benji.: For me, I’m trying to use music as a spring board to help in other areas of my life. If Rolling Stone were to put me on the cover, I’d feel really good about it. It’s not something that’s a direct goal. You just want to be recognized for what you’re doing not really for who you are. Yeah, that’d be tight to be on Rolling Stone or GQ. Especially, GQ because I’m not really a fashionable guy. If GQ puts me on the cover, I made it somewhere. At the same time, success is relevant. The Grammy’s don’t matter anymore. Success is not really defined by any of that. It’s like what Drake said in his Grammy speech. If you got people singing your song, if you got people buying your ticket to come see you, it doesn’t how many, if someone is buying a ticket, you won. You made it. That stuck with me. At “Pittsburgh’s Very Own,” I had people singing my song. In my mind, I’m successful. Now, I’m trying to be more successful. I want my guys to be successful.

ITR: Now you’re in D.C. for a show.

Benji.: That’s just my path. Hopefully somebody goes to Philly next time. Somebody goes to Seattle next time. I’m making my blueprint. You can follow it if you want to. I won’t steer you wrong because I’ll fail first then tell you not to do it. Or you can make your own.

ITR: Okay, your family is having a lot of success too. Your mom received her doctorate. Congratulations. And, obviously your brother Christo with J.I.D. How does your family’s success keep pushing you?

Benji.: Our family has been through a lot. We lost our house in 2003 to a fire on Christmas. My dad had just got his pastor license. The day after the fire he had to go get ordained. We were moving around. We didn’t have money. My parents only having one kid go and finish college. Two dropouts and one who didn’t go ‘cause of teen pregnancy. Everyone just figuring it out for themselves. We’re a family of go-getters but how we want to go get it individually. My siblings are very successful in their own right. My mom got kicked out of CMU to graduate at Robert Morris to get her doctorate at Duquesne. She has the same PhD as my dad. Seeing how they fuel each other, that energy is crazy. When I see my brother being successful and having fun after watching him struggle, when I see that man smile, I work harder because I want to smile too. We just feed off each other. We keep in contact. I’m a big family guy. I love that we’re competitive with each other in that regard, like I want to make my siblings proud and they want to make me proud. We want to start that big family of go-getters and successful people. I love it.