WXPN Launches Hip-Hop Studio Sessions

WXPN’s ‘The Key’ Launches Hip-Hop Studio Sessions Presented by Philadelphia Music Magazine

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. –  WXPN’s ‘The Key’ blog and Philadelphia Music Magazine (Philly Music Mag) are collaborating to place a spotlight on some of Philadelphia’s rising hip-hop stars. The Key Studio Sessions Presented by Philly Music Mag is a new online series that features music videos produced with local hip-hop artists and free downloads of song recordings from each of the sessions. The videos also feature interviews with the artists by DJ AfroDJiak, local producer, radio host and Philly360 Creative Ambassador.

“On The Key, we bring music fans together by providing them with the latest scoop on the best and coolest music in Philadelphia,” said Bruce Warren, WXPN’s Assistant General Manager for Programming. “Philly is exploding with talent and creativity across many genres and the local rap and hip-hop scene is no exception. It’s been an exciting process to work with DJ AfroDJiak and Philly Music Mag, who we’ve collaborated with in the past through the Roots Picnic, to develop this series that showcases the city’s vibrant hip-hop scene and some incredible emerging artists at work.”

The series launched with a video of local emcee Ethel Cee on Wednesday, September 19 which can be found online here. The series will continue over the next two weeks with sessions featuring Reef The Lost Cauze and Peedi Crakk. Philly Music Mag worked with each artist and curated a house band for the sessions. The house band consists of Elliot “El Smooth” Garland on keys, Charlie “Chaz Patz” Patierno on drums and Rhodney “Rah M. Sungee” Miller on bass.



"We are extremely pleased with our Key Session collaboration with XPN,” said Jamica “AfroDJiak” El. “Partnerships like this help us mature as a publication and provide us with the opportunity to further realize our mission and provide a platform for Philadelphia's music arts community. We are grateful to XPN for seeing our vision and providing us with the freedom to curate on their behalf."

Funding for The Key Studio Video Sessions came from a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts Challenge. The Key is a content-rich source for Philly music and source of original local music content. Highlighting the best music from the greater Philadelphia area through exclusive interviews, concert previews, album reviews, MP3s, news, studio sessions and more, The Key covers a broad variety of music, including indie rock, DJ culture, folk, hip-hop, blues and rock. For more information about The Key, visit http://thekey.xpn.org.

Philly Music Mag is Philadelphia's premier music, arts, and culture magazine. For more information about Philly Music Mag, please visit http://phillymusicmagazine.com/.