It’s a Private Party- An Interview with Philly Rapper Close Cash

Philly rapper Close Cash is set to release his new album, titled Private Party.

Close Cash began his journey growing up in South Jersey as Alovett Brandon-Ike Chukwy King. He then found his way to Philadelphia to become who he is now — an independent artist and creative, with the means to change the Philly music scene. Not only does Close Cash rap and sing, but he is also a producer and 1/3 of the Philadelphia production collective, TIL-3.

Late last year, he released the video to “Nicki”, with his production collective called, TIL-3 (video below). More recently, Cash partnered with talented creative Sprout, dropping “Why Do u Smoke” on New Year’s day. You can listen to the full project here, with “Why You Gotta Go?” ft. SX Hellboy being a favorite song of listeners. Channeling his idol, Kid Cudi, Close Cash delivers a smooth flow while harnessing beautiful vulnerability. 

Close Cash has teamed up with friend and industry colleague, Hashland, who has helped him emerge in the Philly scene. Together they put on shows throughout the city and have made a name for themselves as artists helping other artists. He also has been working with many different creatives throughout the city in preparation to drop his highly anticipated album, Private Party.

Find Close Cash on Instagram, YouTube, and Soundcloud, and keep on reading for our interview!


Welcome! Let’s start off with you telling us a bit about yourself.

Name is Close Cash. I am from New Jersey but I currently reside in north Philly. Music has been my life since I was a kid and I wouldn’t want to do anything else. Can’t even see myself doing anything else, that’s kind of why I could never willingly keep a job. I always was willing to drop a job like it’s hot for the sake of my music and I’m glad I’ve been holding on. Now we have our own studio in North, all of the pieces are coming together and I am really hype for that.

Tell us about your upcoming album, Private Party. What was the process of creating this album like for you?

Private Party is an album I have been trying to put out for over a year now. Quarantine took a lot of our careers for a spin and I had no choice but to really recognize that last year wasn’t the right time to drop it but it’s definitely getting to that point now. Process making was pretty wild, slept on my homies floor at his crib to get it done but I couldn’t be happier with it and I’m excited for everyone to hear it as well.

Which song off of the new album are you particularly proud of? 

Can’t answer that but it will be worth it to tune in when the entire project drops, so many different tracks within the same spectrum. I’m sure we’ll all be saying different titles for our favorite track post-release.

To you, what makes Philly a great music city?

Philly is about to be the next ATL in terms of being a musical mecca. This generation that I am in is pretty selfless compared to those of the past and I am excited to see it come to fruition. A lot of artists are starting to really lock in. Rappers, designers, all of that… There’s really a culture building in the city. To be one of those in the mix of it… truly a time to be alive.

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