Brooklyn, New York, has given birth to many successful upstarts over the years; mainly, as far as rap is concerned, “street artists” that are cut from the cloth of artists like Biggie, Kool G Rap, and others. BK-native PIFFMAN is one such artist — a true street hip-hop head in every sense of the term. He worked his way up the ladder, burrowing his way into the local hierarchy on both the mixtape and [ever popular] DVD scene that seemed to flood the game about 6-7 years ago. Working with DJ’s like Superstar Jay and the iconic blend master, Ron G, he began to make a name for himself. His big break, though, came when we collaborated with the wave God himself, Max B, on three tracks, “Valentine’s Day,” “In The Loop,” and “Never Let You Go.” Max, who gained notoriety firstly for his affiliation and the beef with rapper Jim Jones and then his come up with Bad Boy artists French Montana, took PIFFMAN under his wing — effectively giving him the exposure he needed to take his career to the next level. Unfortunately, though, the ride was cut short when Max was sentenced to a lengthy 75-year jail term on murder conspiracy and robbery charges, forcing PIFF to run on his own two feet; he soon flooded the street with the sounds of his certified street-hop anthem, “Lotta Work, featuring MMG rapper Gunplay.
Without warning, Hurricane Sandy took hold of the East Coast, and in the process, PIFF lost everything; without a house, car — and disposable income — he travelled across the country to the sunny palm tree streets of LA, where to set up shop in the city’s Korea town. He began shooting videos in Hollywood, which caught the attention LAHH star and multi-millionaire rapper Soulja Boy, who promptly tapped the rapper to work on some records — one of which ended up becoming “Ferrari,” which sported a two million dollar video budget and over 2.7 million spins on World Star Hip Hop.
Now, with PIFFMAN sitting in the spotlight, with a catalogue that includes songs with superstars like French Montana, he’s hard at work on his new project, Sippin & Surfin, which features artists like Riff Raff, Wale, and much more. His latest record, “Model Bitch,” has already broken a cool million on SoundCloud, so apparently, the demand exists.
Like French, PIFF has seemed to flourish post-Max B incarceration, amidst adversity — and false starts. It’s hard to imagine him failing; tune in, mash the follow button and put your money on a sure bet. Catch him on Riff Raff’s Peach Panther tour in a city near you!
Early.
