Phil Ade’s Five Favorite Hip-Hop Moments [Exclusive Interview]

Whether you call it a mixtape or an album or an LP, Phil Ade's 'R.O.S.E.' is a collection of tracks that every fan of D.C. hip-hop should listen to. Released last month, the "original project" stems from Ade's real-life experiences as well as the big moments that those who are close to him have gone through.

"I was just driving one day, and I started that acronym '[R.O.S.E.']," he tells TheDrop.fm. "Slowly everything was coming together. It took a year-and-a-half to get all the songs done the way I wanted and get the message across. What it is is a collection of my experiences, not just from myself but from people around me and what I’ve seen."

He continues, "The message I try to convey is just there are a lot of outside influences as you grow older. You see a lot of negativity and stuff that you know is wrong. And at the end of the day, it’s your decision to figure out what type of person you want to be or what path you want to go down. Don’t let anybody dictate what you do, and that’s the gist of it.”

Music has always been a big part of Ade's life. From watching his uncle and mother perform as a child to seeing his older brother do his own thing when they were at school, these examples inspired the rhymer to believe that he could do it, too. It was in his blood.

While he knew that music was his path, he didn't get into hip-hop until he was well into his teens.

"Hip-hop didn’t come into play till later, I would say my middle school years when I started looking at my brother," he said. "He was getting into heavy and listening to Tupac and Biggie, Jay Z and all that sort of stuff, and I was the little brother trying to get into what he liked. So that’s how I was introduced to hip-hop. I didn’t start actually making hip-hop music till later, about high school like in my junior year. All my friends did it so I thought maybe I could do it, too. I stuck to it, and now I’m where I am right now.”

Although he's been in the rap game for some time now, he's still new to leading his own show. “I’ve never headlined my own tour," he reveals. "I’ve always been the opening act. I decided to see what this is going to be like. I want to see the people who have been trying to support my music and really get familiar with the lyrics."

Already well into his tour (as TheDrop.fm recounted a few weeks ago), Ade seems to impress crowds all over the place and spread the 'R.O.S.E.' movement wherever he goes. TheDrop.fm had the opportunity to chat with the D.C. rapper about some of his accomplishments in the game, and his details are commendable.

Phil Ade's Five Favorite Hip-Hop Moments

1. Creating the 'Hollywood' Remix

“Two years ago, I had a song called ‘Hollywood,’ and I did a remix to it. And I had Raekwon, Wale, Tabi Bonney and Raheem on it. And at the time, the hip-hop scene in D.C., was me, Tabi and Wale, on the national scale. And Raekwon was there, too. The reason it was so special to me is because the first song I ever recorded on was [Wu-Tang Clan's] ‘C.R.E.A.M.,’ and Raekwon was the first one to rap on it. And he’s the first one to rap on [‘Hollywood’], and that was just a crazy moment for me.”

2. Meeting Bun B & Working With Him

“Another is doing a song with Bun B. I remember before I met Raheem DeVaughn and 368 Music Group, who I’m currently under. I went to an event in D.C., and Bun B was hosting the event. And I was there, and as a fan, I quickly said, ‘What’s up?’ I was badgering him and asking to take a picture. And now two, three, four years later, the song [with him] is out, and people know about it. Now that’s crazy. It lets me know that dreams come true.”

3. Touring with Mac Miller

“I would say going on tour with Mac Miller. Mac is a dude I’ve known for a couple of years now. That was in 2011. And I got to watch his movement and thought, 'Man, we need to do something together.' My manager tried to get something going, but what was funny is they were trying to get something with us at the same time. They wanted us to come on tour with them for the northeast leg of their tour. That’s a cool moment. But the fact that Mac, being at the stage that he’s at in his career right now and wanting to go on tour with me, was pretty cool.”

4. Receiving a Mayoral Introduction

"Recently I did a festival in D.C., with six or 7,000 people. And before I was supposed to go on, the mayor of Washington, D.C., introduced me before I did my set. That was amazing to me. I didn't know that was going to happen or that it was planned or whatever. It's crazy that my music would be good enough that the mayor of D.C., or someone in politics would do that. That was crazy for me."

5. Headlining Dreams Come True Tour

"Doing my first headlinging tour -- that's big to me. The fact I could be at a point where I could headline my own tour and travel the country and people would come to see me, that's a dream come true. I make music so people can come and enjoy it. And now to make music and for people to actually come and pay money to see me perform? That is crazy to me. That might be anything to other people, but that's crazy to me."

Watch Phil Ade's 'Nas Told Me (R.O.S.E. Intro)' Video