Philpot

On the eastside of Detroit, Ronald Philpot Jr. grew up in a neighborhood full of love, trials, and tribulations. Without outlets to focus his creativity upon, Philpot turned to music. In the third grade he crafted his first rhyme about video games and also began playing the bass and trombone. With the mainstream rise of Hip-Hop and Rap, Philpot decided to pursue his music full-time over a possible football career. This decision cemented when Philpot met high school friends, Proof and Eminem. Philpot and Proof honed their skills in a typing class, “We used to make beats on all the keys and sing raps instead of typing.” After high school, Philpot positioned himself as a powerful emcee on the urban front with his first release “Deadly As Hell.” This gritty rap song produced by Proof from D12, defined Philpot's writing style, “My music speaks not only about my life, but it's what goes on in other people's lives as well.” Philpot adds, “I look at myself as a reporter, but instead of writing about situations, I rap about them.” Philpot continued writing rhymes while producing, then selling, a six-song EP entitled “Heart Break Hotel.” Soon after he formed the group Wheatbread, with 5ELA and future Slum Village members Baatin, T3, and Jaydee of The Ummah. In 1999 Philpot's dedication to music paid off when his hard-edged rhymes caught the attention of ReAL Entertainment CEO Jon Robinson. This led to signing a deal with the label. Philpot's energetic performances were also gaining notoriety, and earning him performance spots with D12, Eminem, Paradime, and Jewels. For Philpot crowd participation is a necessity during his show, “I want people to come to a show and feel what I feel when I write the music.” Philpot contributes five tracks to the ReAL Entertainment/Wall Street Music release Recognize…It's Not A Game…ReAL. “Sunny Days,” the album's first single, combines R&B and Rap providing an emotional account of events occurring in life. On “Big Daddy,” Philpot dedicates an ode to the ladies who are tired of the little guys, “Need a Big Daddy in your life like Philpot.” Proof joins Philpot on “Time Flies” to rap about the loss of loved ones and life’s journey. For the future, Philpot plans to continue building his music career. He feels that owning a record label or production company would provide the chance to help others get a shot. Philpot believes that there is something for everybody on Recognize…It's Not A Game…ReAL, “It’s a real good reflection of the different moods that everybody goes through in life.”