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All Points Bulletin! Philadelphia’s newest rap outlaws, Boobonic and Mr. Man, are on the loose. Armed with lethal lyrics, thumpin’ basslines, and their explosive Atlantic debut album, "GET DOWN OR LAY DOWN," these two are most wanted by street soldiers, most wanted by fly ladies, most wanted by ballers-in-training, most wanted by hip hop fans in all fifty states... And yes, Boo and Mr. are Philly’s Most Wanted." The duo of 20-year-olds is helping to lead the charge as Philadelphia finds itself at the center of new millennium’s rap universe – check success stories from Will Smith, Eve, and the Roots. But the city’s rich hip hop history is nothing new. Even before such pop successes were emerging from the City of Brotherly Love, lesser known but equally vital artists like Three Times Dope, Steady B and Cool C, and Larry Lar made important contributions to the local scene. "We’re here to represent for our piece of the Philly pie," says Mr. Man. "What’s different about us is that we’re from Southwest Philly, which is like one of the more ghetto parts of the city. So even though we appreciated the Will Smiths, the Cool C’s and all that, we’re coming up on a street level. That’s our reality." "It’s funny but most of our musical influences come from outside of Philly," adds Boo. "We were listening to Scarface, Dr. Dre’s ‘THE CHRONIC,’ and then the Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z. They were talking about that same ‘hard knock life’ that we were living in." "We’re all like one big clique," says Mr. Man, referring to his extended Philly rap family. "Everybody’s in it. It’s like a new door that’s opened up for everybody." And unlike feuding families that too often fall apart, Philly’s Most Wanted has a strong kinship with their partners in rhyme "Philly is really not that strong yet on the industry side of things," says Boo. "All of that is still based in New York, so we don’t really have one place to meet, but we’re all tight. We all used to jump out on a corner and battle each other, like ‘Yo, can somebody rap out here?!’ And that battle might put us up against Beanie Sigel, Major Figgas, or Gilly the Kid. Then we would write together, do beats for each other, all that. And now we’re all signed to different labels." While the record industry has descended upon the city in true gold rush fashion, Philly’s Most Wanted is dedicated to staying true to their roots while standing apart from the pack. Throughout the album, Boo and Mr. tackle the thrills and chills of life as a "petty thug." On the underground buzz cut, "Suckas," a jack-hammer bounce beat by the legendary Neptunes pounds the brain while Boo and Mr. level rapid-fire rhymes at the player-hater, that weakest link in the ghetto food chain. "GET DOWN OR LAY DOWN" rocks on with such powerful club-bangers as "Ladies Choice," "It’s On," (featuring labelmates Changing Faces and Shaunta), and "Philly Celebrities," with its player tales of playin’ and layin’ in Southwest Philly. The album’s debut single, "Cross the Border," will surely set thongs from South Philly to South Central shakin’ to the Neptunes’ mariachi bounce beat, while Boo and the Mr. put the folks through the ultimate test of devotion: "Just how far will you go for your man?" From the cinematic dramatics of the Epitome-produced "We Won’t Stop" to the space-age cyber-swing the Neptunes-produced "Radikal" (featuring Kelis), Most Wanted spills dark secrets of how young dons conquer the asphalt environment of the streets. "You know, people always try to get into this deep thing, only seeing the negative parts of ghetto life," says Mr. "We’re not deep at all. We just leave that to the side. You got problems? I’ll holla at you later." "Exactly," agrees Boobonic. "We don’t want no trouble. Nobody wants trouble for no reason. But if it come about, it’ll be serviced, it’ll be handled the right way. And that’s it. We’d rather focus on nice things like cars, money, and of course, women." Growing up on the same Conestoga Street block, Boobonic and Mr. Man first met at age 8 and have been inseparable ever since. The depth of their bond is perfectly summed up with "Radikal," in which Mr. Man makes his loyalty to their relationship startlingly clear: "I’ll ride for you, homie, til our bodies hit the soil." "It’s crazy but it’s like being twins," says Boo. "They know when their twin hurts. They know when their twin’s not feeling something. Yeah, like I’ll say something, and he’ll be saying it at exactly the same time. We laugh at the same time. It’s crazy." Through it all, Boo and Mr. kept their bond and their dream tight, performing at age twelve in front a packed Atlantic City showcase, fending off the clamoring interest of label execs and entrepreneurs before finally signing with Atlantic Records in 1997. "It may sound strange but, we never had a doubt in our mind that we’d succeed," says Mr. Man. "Even as years went by, we had that confidence. Maybe it was because we were already stars in Philly. Maybe we was naïve and young, but you just couldn’t tell us that we wasn’t gonna get signed. So now’s time to take over the rest of the world."
Philly's Most Wanted Videos/Audio
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