There’s a magnetic flair to Phil Adé and his music, which combines youthfully aggressive lyrics with an airy array of trunk-rattling loops. Adé captivates on the mic, whether he’s rhyming about the pitfalls of fame or living life in the fast lane. Fine, so he isn’t famous. Either way, when Adé speaks, you listen.
And the Grenadian-Nigerian MC is growing up very quickly. Just two years ago, Ade released his debut Starting on JV mixtape, led by the powerful single “Hollywood,” which took him to the top of the local hip-hop scene. Certainly, Adé’s affiliation with Raheem DeVaughn hasn’t hurt. Still, the 22-year-old MC has matured with each release. Now, he attacks each song with the assurance of a grizzled veteran.
After releasing several songs from the project, Adé dropped the full A Different World mixtape yesterday, featuring Black Cobain, Mac Miller, and others. Download it, and then check out Adé’s concert at U Street Music Hall tonight.
Phil Ade performs with Tiara Thomas, David Correy and Black Alley. Tickets are $15. Doors open at 7:45 p.m. U St. Music Hall is located at 1115A U St. NW.