Urban country artist J. Michael Phillips talks his signing to Slumerican, country music as the voice of the people, and re-inventing yourself
By Katharina Moser
Faint radio music murmurs out of the car speakers as we take a turn into the direction of South Nashville, country music, it must be. It is Sunday, and it is quiet under the gray Tennessee sky, where the wind blows lonely shreds of clouds over our heads. The streets are almost empty, just a few people out picking up their laundry or heading to the nearest waffle house. Not J. Michael Phillips, though, his eyes purposefully fixated on the road on his way to the East Iris Recording Studios, to record a new song he has been thinking about. He turns off the radio, connects his phone and starts playing some of his new tracks.
Of that, there are many, and most of them not even released yet. A lot has happened for the Ohio-born country artist ever since he started writing music, and all the work, the blood, sweat and tears he has poured into his music have come to fruition. One big success is Phillip´s official signing to the Slumerican record label under US rapper Yelawolf. As Phillips tells us, the signing had been a long time coming, but is now finally official. “How it finally came together is a funny story, actually”, says Phillips. “I moved to Nashville a few weeks back, and I´ve been very close to Yelawolf ever since. One day I played him a new song of mine and told him I could make an entire album like this.” Not even an hour later, Yelawolf’s and Phillip’s manager Edward Crowe called Phillips and told him that they figured out the last conditions of the label contract. At the end of May, then, he got signed to Slumerican at a private concert at East Iris Studios. The signing was broadcasted live for thousands of fans and listeners to follow along.
“It feels like now is where the work starts. My mom cried when she watched it, and my sister too. Because they know how hard I´ve worked and how long I´ve worked to make that happen, coming all the way from prison”, Phillips says, whose life journey was shaped by a rough childhood, a youth full of hardships and hardly any perspectives, years of drug trade affiliations and periods in prison. “Everybody said it was over for me. And they broke me off, saying I’ll end up back in prison. They thought I’d go back to what I knew. I don’t say that in a cocky way, I don’t blame people. I had a lot of people believing in me, too – my family did and my close friends. But for the majority, what are the chances?”, Phillips reflects. In a sense, he has outplayed a system that makes it hard for people to get back up who have fallen through the nets of society, a system which does not favor people once they have stumbled. “Even Edward Crowe said, who would be better for this? What is more Slumerican than my story is?”, Phillips says.
Slumerican is not only a record label and a brand, but was also established by Yelawolf as a community, as a concept and way of life based on those who have been born into the streets, grew up with nothing, and against all odds of society work themselves up to the top, reaching for their dreams no matter what conventions society tries to dictate. “My story is as Slumerican as it gets. The fact that Yelawolf believed in me, though, means so much to me. I have watched him turn people down. He won’t even do features with some major artists. For him to take to mine, that’s just a verification that I must be doing something extraordinary, because if it wasn’t he wouldn’t fuck with it”, Phillips says. “It pushes me to go even harder now. I got to outwork any competition.” He has put in the work on the new album with Yelawolf – Phillip’s first Slumerican album that is set to be released beginning of the new year. While he is working on a lot of features with artists in the scene, such as Doobie – the song “Faded” will be dropping soon, too – the album will be more focused on his solo work, he says. “The sound will be my signature sound of street-style country, urban cowboy music”, Phillips says.
“Our thoughts and words are so powerful that they manifest reality. And I do want to teach people as much of that as I can, because where I come from, a lot of people don’t know that.”
J. Michael Phillips
With his establishment as a successful artist, are the stories Phillips sings about in his songs any different than in his early years? “No. A lot of struggle in life comes from relationships and day-to-day life, and that hasn’t changed. I´m still dealing with the same ups and downs. And that’s going to end up in my music.” That is also, just like in his first album Urban Cowboy, what people can relate to most – the daily struggles of the simple man. “But I have positive messages, too. The truth is, our thoughts and words are so powerful, they manifest reality. And I do want to teach people as much of that as I can, because where I come from, a lot of people don’t know that”, Phillips says. “Those who hold the key to success don’t tend to share it with those that are at the bottom. It has really changed my life – to be more careful with the words I put out there. Even when I´m mad, I can make an effort to not put negative energy out there because all that comes back. My whole team is just running on positive frequencies, on high frequencies. That’s why everything is working and happening effortlessly with us.” Phillips compares the current time period in Nashville with the Motown style era: “Something great is happening at East Iris, and it´s going to stand out as an iconic time period. Creatively, we are on a whole other level now, because we are so in tune with what we’re doing.”
“I evolved, and continuously evolve. And the more I learn, the more I live. I’m not perfect in any way. But I learn from my mistakes and try not to repeat them.”
J. Michael Phillips
Phillips has not only changed his outlook on life, but also his name – his previous artist name used to be not his birth name, but the acronym F1 of FMG, reminiscent of his felony class 1 charge in the past. “My friends still call me F. But I sat down with Yelawolf and he pointed out that my birthname is actually cool. He said, for this genre, this ground you´re paving, people want to know who you are, you don’t need an alias”, Phillips explains. “It´s not like the dope game. It´s not like you don’t want people to know your name because you don’t want to get into trouble. From what I come from, that’s what we did. We had multiple aliases. You don’t want nobody to say your government name. You don’t want to be put on some paperwork and getting you a case. But since my life ain’t on that anymore, it’s ok and refreshing to be able to use my real name.” In that sense, returning to his birth name J. Michael Phillips is almost a re-invention, a coming out of hiding. “You have to be able to reinvent yourself in order to remain relevant, because times change. If you want to stay stuck on the same stuff, you´re going to get left in the past. I evolved, and continuously evolve. And the more I learn, the more I live. I´m not perfect in any way. But I learn from my mistakes and try not to repeat them.”
The artist sees himself acting on God´s time, and his path of re-invention, J. Michael Phillips is convinced, is being illuminated by a higher power. “No matter what you believe in, you got to believe in something bigger than yourself, because you have to be held accountable for your actions at some point, to something. If you don’t believe in anything, you´re accountable to nothing. But when you can hold yourself accountable, you can make yourself more aware of what you’re doing and less likely to just act out of your basic instincts.” Phillips, like many of the Slumerican artists who have experienced a journey of hardships and redemption first-hand, believes in the power of karma. “That’s why you need to be so careful what you put out in the universe, because it’ll come back to you. That’s why I always rely on the positive, the good vibes. If I feel funky in some way, I look around and remind myself not to be selfish. Because there are so many people that are really going through harder times than you. Don’t have a pity party for yourself. Shake it off and it’ll be alright. It’ll be greater later”, Phillips says lightly.
By now, he feels right at home in Nashville, one of the great music hubs of the United States. “I have to be in Nashville. I miss things if I leave. It is just like they say: If you hang out with six millionaires, guess who is going to be the seventh? And it’s the same with what we do here. I want to be in those circles”, Phillips explains. “I love Nashville. It’s amazing. Right now, it’s the place everyone wants to be. And I’m with the guys everybody wants to be around. I feel blessed. I don’t take it for granted. At all”, he says humbly. “It’s a testament to the reality that we can achieve what we put our mind to. You got to put the work in, you can’t be delusional, you got to be gifted. But everybody has their own gift. You just got to figure out what your gift is, and really hone in on it”, Phillips has learned. Although he calls his music work, it doesn’t feel like work to him, really. “It’s what I do, it´s who I am. Yes, it is long hours and dedication. There is talent everywhere, so you got to outwork everybody. Still, to me it’s not work, because I love it so much.”
“You can take one of my records, put it on and just let it go and reflect on your life, and know that it’ll be greater later, because you’re not the only one who has been through it.”
J. Michael Phillips
One thing he loves most about being a country artist are the live performances, too. Over the past couple of months, he has opened the shows for Yelawolf several times. “That has helped me grow massively, being in front of thousands of people. My first show with Yelawolf and Cowboy Killer was in Reno”, he recalls. “I’m confident in my music because it comes from my heart, so I know it’s real, it’s good, it’s relatable. But before Reno, I was a little hesitant in terms of how this is going to translate to the true Yelawolf fans. That’s a high bar. They are not afraid to let you know if they are not feeling you.” He laughs. “So Reno was the test for me – and they rocked with me from the first note. It was not just that they were listening and watching, we were engaged, I felt the love. This is where I’m supposed to be. And they get it.” For Phillips, that felt like the beginning of all of it. “Since then, we’ve done bigger crowds, and it was the same response. It is one hell of a ride”, Phillips grins. “That human interaction is way different than just social media. And that’s what I want. My music isn’t just to listen. It’s life music. You’re riding in summer time. Or in winter time” – he laughs – “no matter, you’re just riding. And you can put a record on and just let it go and reflect on your life, and know that itll be greater later, because you’re not the only one who has been through it.”
For Phillips, it is country music in particular which can speak to the universal human experience like that, which understands and narrates the daily joys and hardships of life. It is also the genre that is experiencing an unparalleled revival just now. Phillips doesn’t want to jump on the bandwagon, however. “I’ve been in this direction for some time. And I’m fortunate. This timing for me – to make it at this time, to be with who I am with and to be paving this new terrain of what country-style music is becoming – it’s crazy. We are doing stuff that hasn’t been done before, or that hasn’t even been considered acceptable before.” For Phillips, country also puts a magnifying glass on the sociopolitical aspects of music. “We are living in a time where people are fed up with a lot of control, with people controlling a narrative. But we are in a position where you can’t stop us. Slumerican is going to change the way music is made”, Phillips says confidently. “I always take in the moment. This right here is a period that’s gonna go down in history. We are at a pivotal turning point in music. And we are the voice of a lot of Americans right now, or any people in the world who are sick of being controlled and of being told what to wear, how to act and who to be, what’s right and what’s not, what you can say and what not.” Music, Phillips believes without a doubt, will bring the people, the hard-working, down-to-earth people, together.
And that – creating music for people like you and me, for good days and bad – is what J.Michael Phillips is going to strive and fight for, today like every day. On this quiet Sunday, on the almost deserted premises of East Iris Studios, he enters the recording room, puts on his headphones, closes his eyes – and lets his captivating, characteristic voice find its way.
As J. Michael Phillips steps out of the studio, it is past midnight. A soft summer breeze rustles over the porch, tenderly runs over the studio windows in which the last diligent light has just gone out. The wind carries a scent so full of promise – almost as if giving its blessing to an extraordinary journey, as if savoring the sweet taste of a challenging path overcome and a bright road continuing ahead.
The Wrapper 