How a producer thousands of miles away became a central force in the rise of Philly drill.
In the past two years, Philadelphia drill has quickly become one of rap’s most ascendant regional subscenes. Besides the indomitable and inscrutable propulsion of Gen Z shitposting (SIX SEVEN), what’s really driven its rise is its distinct, ominous production.
Gothic choirs and ghostly opera samples are paired with pounding 808s and macabre lyrics of real-life violence; the results sound demonic. The production style has caught on and popped up in local drill scenes across the country, from Stockton to Chicago.
If you’ve been listening, whether you know it or not, you’ve likely heard the soul-snatching sinfonias of MVMBO. A go-to producer for Skrilla during his ascent to stardom, MVMBO is one of the principal architects of this dark, cathedral-core drill sound.
His beats backdrop Skrilla’s bug-eyed raps with monklike vocals that sound capable of opening an underworld portal. They anchor the late Ybcdul’s songs with the type of opera that you might hear as you slowly bleed out in a pristine, snowy landscape. They underpin LilBuckss’ verses with choir samples that evoke a brigade of fallen angels heralding the rapture. Collectively, his songs have millions of streams – his most popular, Skrilla & C Stunna’s “Curtis Jackson,” has almost 10 million.
The twist? The 22-year-old calls Rome, not Philadelphia, home.
MVMBO grew up in Fidene, a municipality in Rome’s northern outskirts, listening to dark, atmospheric nu metal and Italian trap. After discovering American artists like Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, he became enthralled with American rap and dropped out of high school to chase his dream of becoming a producer. After years of making YouTube “-type” beats – and a chance encounter with an OT7 Quanny song and a Skrilla podcast interview by the Perfect Timing Media Group – he became one of Philly’s top producers from over 4,000 miles away.
The interview has been translated from Italian and edited for clarity.
Dario McCarty: How did you get introduced to rap?
MVMBO: Truthfully, I was someone who didn’t like rap. I listened to nu-metal — like Korn. But then one day I had the chance to listen specifically to Italian rap and I liked it a lot — I think it was my last year of middle school. Then little by little I also got into production. When I was going into my first year of high school, I started using FL Studio seriously.
From there, I got into the American world, in terms of musical taste: Metro Boomin, 21 Savage.
What Italian rappers were you listening to?
MVMBO: It was kinda those who were blowing up in 2016, 2017. You know, Dark Polo Gang, Gali, Sfera Ebbasta. What attracted me the most, was anything produced by this producer Charlie Charles — more than any specific artist.
Did this music influence your own sound?
MVMBO: As far as the drums go, I was really influenced by a very famous producer named Sick Luke who worked with Dark Polo Gang.
But regarding the dark energy, that’s a bit more from Charlie Charles. Because he had these beats with a darker vibe. He didn’t always use voices or vocal samples — but the atmosphere is there.
Have you ever produced for any Italian rappers?
MVMBO: In the beginning, I tried. Around 2018, 2019 — when I was 15 or 16. But when my interests were in Italian rap, my beats were shit, so no one wanted to work with me. [Laughs] By the time I really put my head down, my interests were in American sounds. It was from 2020 to 2024 — I did nothing but make beats all day.
Was it hard to sustain yourself economically?
MVMBO: Of course. But let’s say I have a family that always supports me. Even though my mom wasn’t happy that I dropped out of my fourth year of high school in 2020 — they supported me all the same. It wasn’t easy. In fact, I was a little scared. But I put my head down.
So how did you start making Philly drill beats?
MVMBO: I stumbled upon the Philly drill scene a bit by chance. A bit by luck. I was looking for any American artist that could inspire me, that I could create a YouTube channel for and upload type-beats for that artist. So I was actively searching.
By chance, I found this song from Philadelphia called “Dame Lillard” by OT7 Quanny. When I heard it I was blown away. I said, this really speaks to me. The drums were so simple. The melody is also so simple but so powerful. So I heard it the first time and was instantly hooked.
And doing some research on Quanny and Philadelphia, I found a video where this artist named Skrilla was being interviewed. I clicked on the video, and a minute in, you hear a beat of mine from a channel I’ve now deleted. And I discovered that he had made a song — “Art of War” — to an old beat of mine, created before I had even heard of Philly drill.
After that, how’d things progress?
MVMBO: That was February 2023 — and basically I think I sent him a message. He gave me his number, and I blew up his phone with beats. And so we started working together like that, and he basically used every beat I uploaded.
So that’s Skrilla — but you’ve also worked with HopOutBlick, Ybcdul, LilBuckss, others. I love the LilBuckss project No Man Left Behind — songs like “8 Deep At Nanny Crib” & “Loyalty.” How did these collaborations come about?
MVMBO: LilBuckss — I was introduced to him by an artist who unfortunately is now in prison, Loski Da Reaper. He was one of the first artists I worked with and he connected us. Dul — Skrilla introduced me to Dul. Skrilla opened the doors for me to so many of the artists in the city — Quanny, HopOutBlick, Dul.
How do you find inspiration for the samples you use?
MVMBO: I research them a lot and I kinda know where to look. I never limit myself to one specific country to look for samples. For example I’ll use Google Translate and look up how you say “choir” in Romanian, and I search for that word on YouTube and see what I find. Often they’re church choirs. Orthodox, specifically: Greek, Russian, Bulgarian.
If you can believe it, my best beats often come from samples that come from anime soundtracks. “8 Deep At Nanny Crib” actually comes from an anime – but I don’t remember which one.
Where does the dark energy of your beats come from?
MVMBO: That’s a great question. I’m not sure I have a good answer, because personality-wise I’m not that dark. I’m a bit introverted, I keep to myself — but I’m not a negative or heavy person, unlike the beats. So I don’t know where it comes from. It’s hard to put into words. Because it’s not about words, it’s about music — but it’s the only sound that speaks to me in a certain way.
What’s your favorite song you’ve produced?
MVMBO: I think one of Ybcdul’s. Either the posthumous “Unconditional” or “McButtons & McNuggets 2.”
I like “McButtons & McNuggets 2” a lot too. But the actual story behind the lyrics is really tragic and dark. How do you feel that your beats play a part in these stories?
MVMBO: Yes, certainly. There were several situations where in the beginning when certain artists wrote to me, I didn’t know if it was better to respond or not. I was a bit hesitant. Because I know how they talk. Maybe I don’t know all the details of the story, but I understand what goes on. I understand what they’re naming.
Maybe at the beginning I was a bit more inconsiderate of it. I tried to rationalize it — it doesn’t concern me. But recently, I’ve begun to seriously distance myself from this world for exactly this reason. Even though I love the music — there’s something that’s not right. I can’t tell you in words what it is. But precisely that “dark” vibe — there’s something underneath that doesn’t add up, let’s say.
If you are distancing yourself from it, what are your plans for the future?
MVMBO: This year I re-enrolled in school and I’ll get my diploma. And I’ll start over from there. Music remains an interest of mine, but I don’t think I’ll continue to pursue this passion.
How do you feel that you helped shape the sound of a city you’ve never been to?
MVMBO: Yeah, it’s a bizarre thing, a bit absurd. Especially considering the fact that I’m changing the objective of my life. To look back and think ‘ah, I remember that period where I helped expand the sound of a city in the United States that became one of the most popular sub-genres of rap.’ It’s a bit surreal – I’m proud, but without arrogance.
Any final reflections you’d like to add before we finish?
MVMBO: To be clear: I didn’t create the Philly drill sound. I built on what was already there. There were already plenty of producers, like DinoWhatsPoppin or Quanny’s producer, Pyro. I brought a formula regarding maybe certain types of vocal samples done in a certain way. But even there, while I don’t want to minimize my impact, I also don’t want to exaggerate it.