DJ Big Phill is a renaissance man. A convener, collector, and passionate booster of local and national artists, each week finds Phill in a different part of town mixing hip-hop, funk, soul, and more at packed parties, intimate brunches, and neighborhood pop-ups. That reach has earned him the title of Best Club DJ in Pittsburgh City Paper’s 2023 Best of PGH readers' poll.
Phill was raised in a musical household. Growing up in Penn Hills, he found himself mere blocks from local DJs Assassin and Supa C and was soon mixing breaks from Al Green records — "I think you got something here," he recalls his stepfather saying. Building on the fundamentals, Phill DJ'ed in college, and, after returning to the Pittsburgh area, it was "full steam ahead."
Big Phill has since anchored several hip-hop crews. Union, his most recent project, works like a labor union, with a group of skilled local DJs consisting of Blakk Steel, Selecta, Slim tha DJ, QRX, DJ KB, DJ K-Beck, Yamez, and TJ in collaboration. "We do the dopest, biggest parties in the city," Phill says of Union. "We put on the best events and bring out all of Black Pittsburgh without any media, big radio endorsements, or newspaper endorsements."
Phill is among the biggest boosters of local hip-hop you'll find in the Steel City. "I love Pittsburgh. I'm not one of those weirdos with something negative to say about the city," Phill says. "Pittsburgh has given me opportunities I may not have been able to get elsewhere."
Those opportunities include closing out the Three Rivers Arts Festival, playing a set during the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival, and DJing a sold-out Penguins game. Other nights find Phill laying down grooves in Homewood or blending beats in Lawrenceville. He was recently recognized as a Pittsburgh New Courier Man of Excellence and featured in the city's 50 Years of Hip-Hop celebration.
The secret to Phill's success?
"I like a little bit of everything," he says. Phill believes curating a vibe means meeting the crowd where they are, whether that means a set of old-school funk or bass-heavy rap. "I don't debate what other people like — you have to be appropriate for wherever you're at. You wouldn't go to a Mexican restaurant to get Italian food," he quips.
When he's not making hips swing, Phill has other passions, including spending time with his family and friends; collecting vintage comic books by Black artists (including Pittsburgh pioneer Matt Baker); filming a documentary; and preparing for future events like the East Liberty Eastburgh Festival (happening Sat., Sept. 23) and a 2024 exhibition at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center.
"It's been a blessing to take all my passions and wrap them into one," Phill told Pittsburgh City Paper shortly before leaving to teach a class on film. "Pittsburgh has some of the most creative individuals on the planet."
DJ Big Phill. instagram.com/djbigphill
