Rising North Philadelphia rapper, 2Rare, releases his sophomore single “New Virus” today, via 10K Projects. Following the success of his debut, “Big Drippa” (1.5M Spotify streams), released earlier this year, 2Rare’s “New Virus” proves the young artist has a penchant for writing addictive melodies. In his latest track, 2Rare describes catching feelings as gaining a “New Virus” – a tongue-in-cheek title that also plays on the fears of the current pandemic.
Listen to “New Virus” here.
Growing up North Philly, 2Rare saw the rough side of the city up close and personal. “It’s wild out there,” he says. “Robberies and all that stuff going on. It’s crabs in a barrel.” Avoiding the perils of life in the street, he preferred to stay out of the way but that didn’t stop him from earning a local name for himself from an early age. First, he turned heads with his dancing, posting videos of himself doing the Wu-Tang — an energetic dance style that originated in North Philly —and going to his neighborhood skating rink on the weekend to showcase his skills. Then, he turned to football, spending time in between high school games practicing in his backyard and on his block. Bored during the offseason, he decided to book an hour-long session at a local studio and recorded his first-ever song, “Switch Sides,” an emotional track about loved ones turning to betrayal.
When he started missing school, and his high school football career went sideways, he began dedicating himself to the studio. The video for “No Brotherly Love,” a melodic song where 2Rare flips Philly’s historic slogan to address the jealousy and hate he’s seen in the city, instantly gained local traction. Despite the attention, he sought to further distance himself from negative themes and take his sound to the next level. “I can’t keep thinking street, ‘cause I really want to be everywhere,” he says. “I want to have my grandma dancing at the cookout and have my mom happy. I saw them stressed all the time so why make music to keep them stressing? I want it to feel good.”
Now, 2Rare has his eyes set on global stardom. His latest single, “Big Drippa,” rose to No. 15 on the SoundCloud Top 50 chart and has nearly nine million plays on the platform. Recently signed to Internet Money Records/ Homemade Projects/ 10K Projects, 2Rare has been working closely with Internet Money on his upcoming singles and debut project. Still, he’s taking fame one step at a time.
“I try not to stomach it yet ‘cause then I won’t have this hustle mentality that I have right now,” he says. “I ain’t trying to slow myself down at all.”
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