Phora’s candor always leaves an indelible mark on new listeners. Instead of placing band-aids on his wounds to remedy the pain, he valiantly embraces his blemishes like the intrepid soul that he is.
In 2016, he flashed signs of promise when he doled out his record “Sinner.” The somber song finds Phora detailing his arduous battle with drug addiction, alcoholism, depression and more. “It’s just really a whole pent-up aggression inside of me where I keep it bottled in. Eventually, at the end of the day after some time keeping that shit bottled in, I just snapped,” Phora reflects on his standout track.
While Phora’s melancholic records have helped him develop a strong fanbase, it’s also his positive outlook on love that keeps his fans enthralled. On his 2017 album Yours Truly Forever, Phora penciled rosy records such as “To the Moon” and “Forever,” which injected hope in hapless romantics. For his new project, Love Is Hell, out Friday, Phora plans to erase any doubts cast on him as a hip-hop mainstay with marquee features from 6LACK, G-Eazy, Tory Lanez and Trippie Redd.
“I see everyone as competition,” says Phora. “Homies, friends, everyone. When I’m in the studio with you, it’s a confidence boost. It pushes me to be better than what I’m doing.”
The West Coast star spoke with Billboard about his forthcoming album Love Is Hell, his relationship with God, his favorite “Sinner” record, Tupac’s music being therapeutic and his tireless pursuit of happiness.
