Phony Ppl in Concert
A five-member band bred and based in Brooklyn, Phony Ppl couldn't be more real when it comes to defying categories and conventions. Songs that may start as old-school R&B and funk grooves are just as likely to transform into trippy psych-soul fantasias as they are to heat up into trap-influenced hip-hop bangers. Whether they're conducting these explorations in the studio or live on stage, using acoustic instrumentation or delving into digital abstractions, Phony Ppl strive to ensure there's nothing predictable about where they're going or how they get there.
Phony Ppl's journeys began when its members met in New York's music schools, camps, and programs, where they studied hard to meet the expectations of their arts-focused families. They also had some notable musician parents to impress – drummer Matt "Maffyuu" Byas is the son of DJ Jazzy Jay, the legendary turntablism pioneer who was an early member of Afrika Bambaataa's Zulu Nation. Once schooling was done, this pool of players and friends coalesced into Phony PPL in the late 2000s, with the original nine-piece group eventually becoming the current five-strong lineup of Byas, vocalist Elbee Thrie, guitarist Elijah Rawk, keyboardist Aja Grant, and bassist Bari Bass.
After a series of mind-bending online-only releases, and an after-midnight residency at Manhattan's iconic Blue Note club, Phony Ppl made a wider impact with ‘Yesterday's Tomorrow,' a 2016 long-player that Rolling Stone's David Fricke described as "a matured fusion of modern-pop songcraft, live-band hip-hop drive, classic-R&B singing and instrumental Steely Dan poise." That kind of versatility and flexibility certainly comes in handy for a band that's performed with and opened for artists as diverse as Erykah Badu, the Roots, Pusha T, and Miguel. They also backed up Fetty Wap when he performed "Trap Queen" on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live.' The members' extracurricular activities include a stint in Princess Nokia's band by Elijah Rawk and Aja Grant's keyboard contributions to Mac Miller's ‘Swimming.'
Now Phony Ppl are eager to expand more minds with the release of mō'zā-ik, their most ambitious musical statement to date. The hazy psychedelic neo-soul of first single "Way Too Far" and this fall's slate of opening dates with Pusha T are a preview of wild new directions to come.
