Working on Dying

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Working on Dying
Logo of Working on Dying
Logo of Working on Dying
Background information
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Years active2012−present
Associated acts
Websiteworkingondying.com
Members
  • F1lthy
  • Oogie Mane
  • Brandon Finessin
  • FaxOnly
  • Loosie Man
  • Jarek
Past members
  • Forza

Working on Dying is an American producer collective based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was created in 2012.[1][2] The current members include F1lthy, Oogie Mane, The Loosie Man, and Jarek.[2]

History[]

Foundation[]

The collective Working on Dying was founded by F1lthy and his younger brother Oogie Mane.[1] Beginning in 2012, F1lthy began developing production skills on Fruity Loops over a period of six months after being inspired by the then upcoming underground rapper and producer SpaceGhostPurrp and the rap group Metro Zu, both from Miami, Florida.[1][2] F1lthy later shared his production work with Oogiemane.[2]

Forza, who lived nearby, would skateboard with the brothers in middle school.[1] Oogieman and Forza would later be introduced to Lil Uzi Vert in 2013 while they were freshmen attending Northeast High School.[1][2] Jarek, the godbrother of F1lthy and Oogie Mane, then introduced the two to The Loosieman, who was a rapper at the time under the name Declan?.[1][2] The group adopted the name Working on Dying in memory of The Loosieman's father who died at the time.[1][2]

My father died of cancer the day after I turned 18, ... I was in a car, I had a glass of whiskey, driving, and I was like, 'Shit, I’m really working on dying right now'

— Loosie Man[1]

Oogie Mane had his first notable productions in late 2013 on Xavier Wulf's "The Alpha K9' and Chris Travis' "Another Planet" and "Night Ryder".[2] Working on Dying's debut tape was The Loosieman Presents: Working On Dying, released on January 3, 2014.[1][2] The tape featured ambient synths mixed with vocals from Lil B, Gucci Mane and a Ted Talk about death from Peter Saul, an intensive care unit specialist.[1] At this time, Forza was not heavily involved in the group as he was pursuing interests in football and skateboarding, though he would become more involved a year later.[1]

Working on Dying began to reach out to Black Kray and Goth Money, establishing more connections within the underground community, while Oogie Mane's production on Lil Uzi Vert's mixtape The Real Uzi brought more recognition when released in late 2014.[2]

Tread style[]

Tread
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsMid-2010s Philadelphia
Typical instruments

Working on Dying is often associated with creating the rap sub-genre tread, which was coined by frequent collaborator Bootychaaain.[1][2] The genre is characterized by futuristic synthesisers, slowed down samples,[1] busier drum programming with distinctive 808 patterns, high tempo (usually set around 160 to 190), usually having off-beat hi-hats in addition to trap's triplets and a fast style of lethargic rapping. It's also usual for producers to take influences from cloud rap such as lushy synth pads and reverb-heavy atmospheric production.[3]

Forza has been credited with tuning 808s into a very unique style that would later develop into tread. According to WOBC-FM, production by Forza included "his signature high tempo drums and unconventional 808 patterns that automatically makes you want to mosh", describing him as "a pioneer in the underground’s Soundcloud scene".[4] One of the first works recognized as proliferating tread rap was 5 Finger Posse's mixtape Trapped in the Trenches, produced by Working on Dying.[5]

As tread became more established, Working on Dying would then promote their music through weekly releases called "Tread Tuesdays", a play on Kanye West's GOOD Fridays.[2] Various rappers would be involved with the popularity of tread rap including Lucki, Lil Yachty, Black Kray AKA Sickboyrari, WiFiGawd, 5 Finger Posse, Chxpo and others.[2] The collective's persistent promotion through live performances, internet streams and consistent releases would pay off and bring them into the mainstream rap scene.[2]

Mainstream success[]

In 2017, Philadelphia rapper Matt Ox – 12 years old at the time – went viral on Twitter with his song "Pretty Penny", grabbing the attention of F1lthy and Oogie Mane, the latter of whom produced the track "Overwhelming," which went viral on the internet.[2] At this time, labels began to rapidly reach out F1lthy and as a result of the overwhelming response, he began to work with veteran Philadelphia rapper and producer Brandon Finessin.[1] Finessin began his career with an associate of The Roots, Dice Raw, and earned a master's degree in business.[1] With Working on Dying, Finessin took over the collective becoming CEO, created an LLC and hired lawyers to develop the collective into a company.[1]

Following the introduction of Finessin's management, Working on Dying would see their first mainstream successes in 2018 with Oogiemane producing the song "I'm Upset" for Drake's album Scorpion while the group saw further credits on Matt Ox's debut album Ox and on Juice Wrld and Future's collaborative album Wrld on Drugs.[2] At this time, Complex included Working on Dying on their 9 Producers To Watch In 2018 article.[6]

Controversy arose in 2019 when parts of Lil Uzi Vert's Eternal Atake began to leak online.[7] Lil Uzi Vert accused Working on Dying producer Forza of leaking the music and threatened to assault the producer; Forza responded by threatening suicide.[8] Finessin responded to the situation by firing Forza, stating "When you find out heavy accusations you don't be quick to take action, you gotta figure it out. You have to gather the evidence, and we did. It's a hard decision we had to make".[7]

For Playboi Carti's 2020 album Whole Lotta Red, F1lthy produced various songs, including album opener "Rockstar Made", with Danny Schwartz writing in Rolling Stone's review of the album "Whole Lotta Red notably marks a breakthrough for Working on Dying producer F1lthy, whose heavy distortion on standouts like “Stop Breathing” and “On That Time” supplies much of the album’s adrenal punk energy. His beats set the tone for the first 12 songs, a turbulent sequence that pretty much exists for the singular purpose of moshing".[9] In 2021, Working on Dying collaborated with Freddie Gibbs on his single "Gang Signs" featuring Schoolboy Q.[10]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Working On Dying in real life". The Fader. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "THE RISE AND RISE OF WORKING ON DYING". LO-FI The Magazine. November 27, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  3. ^ "Hit the Gym: On the Proliferation of Tread Music". Passion of the Weiss. September 6, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  4. ^ "SleepWalker 2019 Freshman List". WOBC-FM. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  5. ^ "The 10 Best Dark Underground Trap Bangers, according to Mutant Joe". DummyMag. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  6. ^ "9 Producers To Watch In 2018". Complex. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Working On Dying Collective Responds To Lil Uzi Vert's Leak Debacle". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  8. ^ "Producer Forza Threatens Suicide After Lil Uzi Vert Calls Him Out". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Schwartz, Danny (January 4, 2021). "Playboi Carti Lives Out His Vampire Rock Star Fantasy on 'Whole Lotta Red'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  10. ^ "Freddie Gibbs Taps Schoolboy Q for New Single "Gang Signs"". Complex. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
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