New York, NY – April 19th, 2019 – Today, the newest addition to Payday Records, Philly born & raised brother rap duo, BlumBros release their autobiographical track “LS6” off of their upcoming debut EP Thank Da Jects, entirely produced by MAKJ (most known for his collaborative tracks “Countdown” with Hardwell, “Shakalaka” with Steve Aoki, “Let’s Get Fucked Up” with Lil Jon, and more), seamlessly colliding the worlds of dance and rap on one project. Hailing from the Blumberg Projects in North Philadelphia, the team of BlumBros x MAKJ gives listeners a high energy peek into their come-up. After reconnecting with each other as teenagers and creating music as a duo, the brothers realized that through their craft they could do two things; live their dream and share their story.
The song opens with a sitar-sounding guitar riff, reminiscent of past and present rap legends such as Swizz Beatz, Notorious B.I.G. and Lil Kim. Leading with MAKJ’s signature producer tag of a car speeding by, BlumBros proclaim “put my wrist on froze / I’ve been getting lit since I was 6 years old”. With the title “LS6”, or “lit since 6”, the rappers melodically explain how they have been grinding to the top since they were little kids, beginning with various foster homes and family struggles – the BlumBros are truly self-made. Able to fuse genres effortlessly, MAKJ’s release with BlumBros signifies a shift in his musical direction as an open format producer. Represented in his genre-defying DJ sets as well as relaunching his radio show and touring brand as “Open Format” MAKJ’s new direction sees him focus on hip-hop, latin and other musical infusions whilst still catering for his loyal EDM fans as he begins this exciting new stage of his journey.
“Nobody from our neighborhood has ever been on a plane really,” stated BlumBros. “So, when we recorded this EP, we made history just traveling to LA to record with a hot DJ/producer like MAKJ. We come from two different places but made a crazy project. No matter where you are from, music can bring everybody together and that’s what we want to do.”
“Working on the BlumBros EP was great,” said MAKJ. “Me and the guys connected on a musical level and they came ready to work. I wanted to approach the production in a way that matched their energy but didn’t sound like every other rap record that you hear. I brought my experience of playing live sets into the studio and we made magic. As executive producer of this project I’m extremely proud of what we have created.”
Able to fuse genres effortlessly, MAKJ’s release with BlumBros signifies a shift in his musical direction as an open format producer. Represented in his genre-defying DJ sets as well as relaunching his radio show and touring brand as “Open Format” MAKJs Collaboration with the BlumBros showcases his ability to create a genre bending sound, that is true to hip-hop but also still caters to his organic EDM fanbase.
BlumBros
Raised in the notorious Blumberg Projects in North Philadelphia, the BlumBros’ upbringing was far from normal. Born into a family of 11 children — five girls and six boys — Raphael and Cartier Perkins were separated along with their siblings as kids and placed into foster care, living isolated from one another for over 10 years. Raphael and Cartier were three and six years old when the Department of Human Services took them away after their mother’s drug use was discovered.
The brothers were only allowed to contact each other a handful of times a year, mostly on birthdays and holidays. They would go months, and even years, without seeing each other.
“I feel like we represent all the foster care kids around America who really don’t have a voice,” Cartier says. “We want to talk about what really goes on when you’re in Foster Care and how people really treat you when you go into the different homes.”
When Raphy and Carty became teenagers, they were finally reunited, discovering that they each had an affinity for music. Raphael enjoyed singing as a kid while Cartier initially found a passion for dancing – They both took up rapping in 2016, individually making music and gaining attention within their neighborhood.
“We ended up just making a song together and once[people] heard both of us on a track, they said we got to become a duo,” Raphael explains. Todd “Morty” Perry II, a music manager and publisher who is also from Philadelphia, caught wind of the brothers’ regional hit, “Wanna Be Grown,” and quickly developed an interest in working with them. He would later become their co-manager, dubbing the duo their rap moniker, which is a combination between Blumberg and brothers.
They signed to Ultra/Payday Records in 2018 and were offered an opportunity to co-write the Philadelphia Union Soccer team’s theme song. The duo is currently working on their debut EP titled Thank Da Jects, an homage to the place where they grew up.
“We look at it as we’re from Blumberg projects, we’ve been through a struggle, we’ve had some ups and downs, good times and bad times, so we named it ‘Thank Da Jects’ because without the [projects] it wouldn’t be no us; no stories to tell,” Raphy continued.” “The projects got a whole lot to do with our lives “ Carty adds, “ Everything that I learned from teenage years till now, I literally learned it from the projects.”
The five-track EP will be entirely produced by top electronic producer DJ MAKJ, led by the first single “LS6,” which is out now. They describe their sound as versatile, claiming that they can create music for any mood.
“We have a lot of different sounds, our music really moves people and makes anybody dance,” Cartier said. “We have had the most gangster dudes out here dancing.”
Meek Mill, Lil Uzi Vert, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Black Thought, Eve, the City of Brotherly Love has birthed some of the biggest names in hip-hop. The BlumBros look to add to that legacy and carve out a lane that’s entirely their own.
“I feel like we represent energy, fun, good vibes, just making something negative into a positive.” Perseverance personified.
MAKJ
Since emerging on the scene with breakthrough Hardwell collab Countdown in 2013, MAKJ’s style as an open format DJ has propelled him to the top amongst his peers. Initially influenced by hip-hop and scratching turntables before moving into EDM, allowed MAKJ’s ear and skill for a finely tuned production to evolve. Since Countdown, his development as a producer has led to critically acclaimed tracks across a variety of genres including Let’s Get Fucked Up with Lil Jon that amassed over 8 million streams as well as Derp with Bassjackers, Party Till We Die with Andrew WK,Timmy Trumpet and most recently Shakalaka alongside Steve Aoki, Deorro and Max Styler. Known for his high energy sets, MAKJ’s skill has seen him play at the likes of Tomorrowland, Coachella, Electric Zoo, Ultra and others. With more releases and collabs lined up for 2019, we can’t wait to see where MAKJ and his open format brand heads next.
