At just 23 years old Phillip Johnson-Richardson, aka Phil., has already established himself as a promising singer, rapper, and actor. Currently playing the role of Benny on Apple TV+ original series ‘Little Voice’ created by the award-winning team of J.J. Abrams, Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson, Phil. has been balancing his time working on music for his debut EP. Phil.’s original music is a departure from his musical theater roots and showcases his versatility and range. Drawing from an eclectic roster of musical influences, Phil. intertwines hip-hop and R&B as he masterfully shifts from singing to rapping. He taps into his skills as an actor to deliver each lyric with an undeniable magnetism and authenticity. This is exemplified in the bravado of his new single “watch out.”.
“watch out” is rapidfire turn up track with a meaningful message. Phil.’s effortless cadence connects his intelligent rhymes and undeniable bars – like fellow actor / musician Donald Glover, he’s talking real shit with playful undertones.
According to Phil. “watch out” came together like most of his songs do, listening to beats while penning lyrics on the train. When asked about the inspiration behind the track, he shared, “This song is describing my first official ‘all eyes on me’ moment. It’s the song I think describes me in the best way because I’m talking my shit, but it just feels different. I feel like every rapper prides themselves on being different but ends up looking the same, rapping the same and trying to be like the next person and this song is about how I’m just not.”
He adds, “The sound of this joint is exactly how I like it – rapid fire and turn up. It’s the kinda song that I think people are gonna have to listen to more than once just so they can hear everything I’m saying and also recognize I’m not just talking bullshit.”
Listen to “watch out.” here: https://fuga.ffm.to/watchout
The journey wasn’t always easy for Phil., his mental fortitude and meteoric rise can be attributed to the perseverance gained when his family suddenly fell homeless and found themselves sleeping on a relative’s garage floor. The hardship dialed up his drive and appreciation for the arts, so he pushed himself even harder.
The Charlotte-bred quadruple threat (because of course dude can dance too) then honed his raw talents at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, where he graduated from the musical theatre program in 2018. Immediately after graduation he landed his first role, joining the Chicago company ensemble of the sold-out musical phenomenon Hamilton, playing various characters including it’s namesake Alexander Hamilton. Since then Phil. moved to New York City and found a successful acting career, with appearances on tv shows Chicago PD, Proven Innocent, and The Other Two and horror film Haunt. He is currently a series regular on the new Apple TV+ show Little Voice created by Sara Bareilles and JJ Abrams which launched on July 10th, 2020.
While acting has taken the forefront of his rapidly evolving career, Phil. remains dedicated to his passion for music. His original songs pull from his Hip-Hop and R&B influences, From Lauryn Hill to John Legend to Drake and beyond. Phil.’s ability to effortlessly flow from confident rhymes to impassioned singing allows him to fuse his dualities into one artistic persona. That incredible range of talent is seen across his music and best showcased in his upcoming EP ‘Different Cities’. The project includes turn up Hip-Hop tracks like the first single “Watch Out” while also showing his softer, if not seductive, R&B side on tunes like “One That I Want.”
With a highly anticipated new series and groundbreaking EP in the wings, it’s clear Phil. is about to rise.
Hi Phil and welcome to OLC! So for all our followers out there tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m Phil. i’m originally from Charlotte NC, I reside in Brooklyn and I like to do whatever the hell makes me happy.
So where did your passion for music and acting develop? And who inspired you to want to follow a career in the entertainment industry?
My passion for acting and music are connected in a way but definitely started as separate journeys. I started acting when I was about 12 years old damn near by accident. I was doing community service as a stage manager for a local black arts center my mom had been connected to. The older kids were cool as hell and I was attracted to the scene almost instantly so I started doing shows there and at my school, then went to the public arts high school in my town and the rest is history.
Then when it came to music, I was in college for musical theatre (I went full force with acting lol) and I was sort of depressed because college is hard, I was broke and unhappy artistically. My homie told me he wanted me to randomly rap on this song of his and I wrote my first verse and fell in love and start going crazy on that too and haven’t looked back since.
How were you discovered?
I don’t think anyone has discovered me yet in either field, music or acting. This is a mentality I always plan to have because the sky is truly the limit and I never wanna feel like I’ve made It. That’s when I tend to get complacent and don’t have that drive that’s taken me this far.
You currently star in the show “Little Voice”, how did the opportunity arise, and what’s it like working with great minds like JJ Abrams and Sara Bareilles?
Little Voice was crazy the way everything happened. I had my first audition in Feb. for one of the other characters, same thing in May but for another character and then finally the role came across about a month or so later. I auditioned for Sara B. and Jessie Nelson (showrunner) and we did the auditions and kinda just kicked it. I had one more callback and didn’t hear from them for a while. I went to the same casting office for another audition and ran into the two again and we kicked it again for about 5 mins before my audition and then I got the call the next day I’d been tested for the role then within the next two days got the offer.
For anyone that hasn’t seen the show can you tell me a bit about it and who you play?
The show is actually crazy because it kinda mirrors what I’m going through haha, it’s about a singer/songwriter in NYC trying to make it and find their voice at the same time. It’s also loosely based on events that happened In Sara’s life. I play one of her friends in the group who loves her artistry, to the point where he wants to manage her and does everything he can to show his support and love for her.
Let’s talk about your new song “Watch Out”, what inspired this track and who helped you work on it?
This song is what I would almost call my “rebirth”. This was compiled of a whole bunch of unfinished verses I had written in NY on the train. I was feeling hella slept on at the time, as you might be able to tell. I tapped into a certain energy I didn’t know I even had when I was writing. I got in the studio a few months later with the homie Leale over at Glass tree Studios in Chicago and he was showing me beats and played this and I said “I need that”. Recorded it the next day.
You have an EP on the way, is there anything you can tell us about it?
This EP is a compilation of verses and songs I wrote/recorded the past 4 years of my life and it’s the only that has kept me sane through all the craziness of living so many different places and not feeling like I’ve had a home. Hence the name “Different Cities”. Only other I’ll say is just expect to hear a lot of different styles. All rooted within the realms of hip-hop and r & b but my own personal twist on it all.
Who is an artist you’ve always wanted to collaborate with and why?
In a weird way I want to collaborate with Allen Stone, he’s one of my favorite singers to exist and I feel like we could make something super unorthodox and organic that the world would literally never expect. I also used to try and sing like him back in high school lol.
Once all this covid craziness is over would you love to do some touring?
This Covid shit is throwing a monkey wrench in the whole program. I most definitely would love to travel however far and show the world my music. And open for some dope ass artists but I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason and I have none to rush what is happening, so whenever the world goes back to allowing touring im hella down.
What’s the ultimate goal you want to achieve in the entertainment industry?
I don’t set myself with too many goals but I do want to serve as a bridge between a few communities. I feel like hip hop tends to be hella misogynist, homophobic transphobic and a lot of other things. I wanna be a rapper who breaks down the stereotype of being a cis straight black male in the music industry. Like I think its cool as hell to rock with all people and all communities, shit doesn’t make you weird or gay or nothing like that.
What’s the rest of 2020 hold for you?
2020 is the most unexpected thing I’ve ever been a part of so I’m gonna be honest and say I have no clue lol. But I would definitely say a lot of self work and reflecting.
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