Throughout hip hop's three decade plus history, no true superstar has emerged from Philly. Emcee after Philly emcee has seen fleeting success, but problems (usually legal) stopped any true movement from occurring (see Beanie Sigel's State Property camp).
So, the answer might have to come in the form of a producer. Enter Simon Illa. True, the man was born and raised in rural Paris, Illinois, but his harsh, courageous story packs the sort of character reserved for Rocky, or some far off Eagles Super Bowl run.
Illa, born Brad Gilbert, has osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease that makes bones brittle and easily broken. Besides being susceptible to bone fractures, Illa uses a wheelchair and stands at only three feet, one inch. Beyond dealing with his disease, Illa was also a witness to his mother's murder by gunfire at the age of three.
Illa and his brother Brian (also stricken with OI) moved in with their grandparents, who lived down the street from them. Illa developed a strong connection with his grandparents, especially his grandmother, who bought him his first (child-sized) guitar at the age of thirteen.
Illa's father committed suicide when he was fourteen, but that did not deter him from earning a scholarship to study music at Indiana State University. While his inability to read sheet music stopped him from completing the major, Illa graduated with a degree in Geography and Climatology. He would, however, pursue a career in music.
As Illa put in fourteen-hour days at the studio of his independent label Paranormal Recordings, he found his business partner to be "riding his coattails" and soon become discontent with the situation. An unfortunate incident with equipment theft was the last straw: Illa decided he needed a move to a big city and set his sights on Philly, a city he had come to know through an annual music conference.
Through perseverance and a willingness to shack up a couple of nights in 30th Street Station, Illa found himself working with renowned Philadelphia International Records. "I never asked for handouts," recalls Illa of this period of his life, but he does recall that people were always willing to help and, "honesty always works."
The work with Gamble and Huff was a launching pad for more production work. Once settled, Illa worked with as many artists as he could make time for. At the moment, his roster ranges from R&B singer Taragirl, to team soundtracks for the Phillies and Eagles, to rock band Wabi Sabi, to work with super-producer Scott Storch's artist Nox. This is the sort of diverse roster he aspires for, as Illa sees himself as taking cues from the career of his musical hero Rick Rubin.
Regarding what comes next; Illa has been working closely with Storch. With him, Illa has major label exposure, as well as the opportunity to work for up-and-coming emcees. Illa likes the prospects of rapper Nox, who he deems the hottest emcee in Philly right now. Unfortunately for Nox, Illa may have to temper the mentor-prot‚g‚ relationship he has with Storch due to Illa's signing recently with Timbaland manager Bill Pettaway. Recently Timbaland and Scott Storch have been feuding (ah, hip hop beef) and Illa does not want to burn any bridges.
Despite the deal with Pettaway, and being named Philly's next hot producer by Blender, Illa sees his situation as getting "drafted from college to the pros," where he still needs to make his name. Still, with an unmatched determination, and one of the best underdog stories this city has seen, it may be time for Philly's first rap superstar.
