Philadelphia is most certainly one of the country’s most reputable cities when it comes to music. The Roots, Patty Labelle, Teddy Pendergrass, Jill Scott, Will Smith, Jazmine Sullivan, Beanie Siegel, Meek Mill, and plenty more greats hail from the city of brotherly love. However, in recent years the city has come to a point where it is lacking in terms of industry. Up and coming artists now look to relocate to hubs like LA and NYC for a chance at finding stardom. Chill Moody is looking to change that – he wants to see his city stand tall as a music industry hub.

As a multifaceted entrepreneur and entertainer, Chill has made a name for himself through his various arms of creative and business moves. He is the only rapper with his own official IPA, titled nicethingsIPA, and he’s well known for his performances complete with a live band drawing crowds of every ethnic background. On top of that, he is governor of the Grammys’ Recording Academy Philadelphia Chapter. Just a year ago Chill blew away Ebro, Rosenberg, and Laura Styles with a freestyle fitting the reputation of Philly rappers before him on Hot 97. Recently, REVOLT got a chance to catch up with Chill Moody about his ventures, upcoming tour, and his views on the Philadelphia music scene.

What are your views on developing multiple arms of a business?

I feel like it’s very important to be multifaceted when building arms of a business, especially in music. Everyone isn’t going to like my music, I’m aware of that, so early on I made sure to build other businesses around my brand and my music. You might not like a song but you might love this shirt from my clothing line or a watch from my watch line. There are people who at a time never heard any my music that love my beer and from that have become fans of my music.

What made you break into the beer industry?

Philadelphia has one of the fastest growing craft beer scenes in the country, it was kind of a no brainer. I love beer and when I met the owner and head brewery of Dock Street Brewery, I instantly thought, “yo Sebastian, you should make a beer!” I call myself Sebastian when I’m talking to myself. I explained my desire to create a signature brew collaboration, explained I didn’t want to just throw my name or face on a can but I wanted to actually learn the craft and brew a beer. Dock Street granted me the opportunity to learn under the tutelage of Vince Desrosiers and after about four months of rigorous drinking, we came up with nicethingsIPA.

Talk about your work with developing Philly’s music industry?

About four years ago I was named Philadelphia’s Music Ambassador by Councilman David Oh and started working with him on the PHL Live Center Stage initiative. Since then I’ve helped create our current Philadelphia Music Industry Task Force and I serve as a governor on the Recording Academy (Grammy’s) Philadelphia Chapter. I understand why some artists leave Philly to “make it,” there isn’t a lot of industry there. I’m a little more solution-oriented and chose to stay and help rebuild our city’s industry so years from now, when the next Chill Moody is coming up, leaving Philly to “make it” will be a choice and not an inevitability.

What have you learned from your work with the Grammys?

I’ve learned a lot and i’m still learning daily. I’ve been a member of the Recording Academy for almost 7 years now and for the last two years I’ve served on the board. These last couple years i’ve been working a lot with our advocacy arm, meeting with Congress fighting for artist rights. Learning a lot about how legislation can be put into place to work in favor of the artists.

What’s the significance of It’s Gon Be A nice Tour?

I can’t really put it into words. A lot went into making this happen, and it’s only the beginning phase of a bigger play me and my team have put together. It’s been a nice year, It’s Gon Be A nice Tour and the upcoming months are only going to bring more and more nice things.

Chill’s tour is set to kick off on October 23rd in Alexandria, VA. He’ll hit the stage in Baltimore, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut as well accompanied by budding artists Mus Matos, and Dot Cromwell. The experience is courtesy of the Loud Music Tour, a platform with a strong reputation for their Live Music Series across Philly, New York, and Baltimore. Their last series featured J.I.D who later went on to sign to Dreamville the same year. If you love good hip-hop and positive energy then get ready. It’s Gon’ Be A nice Tour.