American producer collective
Working on Dying
is an American producer collective based in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. It was created in 2012 by American record producer Richard Ortiz, known professionally as
F1lthy
, and his younger brother, Oogie Mane.
[1]
[2]
History
[
edit
]
Foundation
[
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]
Beginning in 2012,
[1]
F1lthy began developing production skills on
FL Studio
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 Oogie Mane.
[2]
Forza, who lived nearby, would skateboard with the brothers in middle school.
[1]
Oogie Mane 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'
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]
Brandon Finessin, who was a close friend of the group during high school, would learn how to make beats from F1lthy and joined the team officially around the same time. 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
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]
Tread
|
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Stylistic origins
|
|
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Cultural origins
| Mid-2010s Philadelphia
|
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Typical instruments
| |
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Working on Dying is often attributed with creating the trap 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 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
, 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
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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 to F1lthy, and as a result of the overwhelming response, he sought the help of veteran Philadelphia rapper and producer, Finesse, who currently manages the team. Finesse began his career with an associate of
the Roots
,
Dice Raw
, and earned a
master's degree
in business.
[1]
With Working on Dying, Finesse took over the collective becoming CEO, created an LLC and hired lawyers to develop the collective into a company.
[1]
Following the introduction of Finesse'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]
Finesse 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]
On September 2, 2022, rising rapper
Yeat
released a single titled "
Talk
" produced by
Bnyx
, another member of Working On Dying. On September 9, Yeat released his highly anticipated
extended play
,
Lyfe
. 6 out of the 12 songs were produced by Bnyx, including the single "Talk," as well as "Flawless" featuring
Lil Uzi Vert
, "Out the way," "Wat it feel lyke,"
electric guitar
boasted "Can't stop it," and closing track "Killin em." Songs like "Out the way" and "Talk" trended on social media app
TikTok
, influencing and praising Bnyx's work on the album. Lyfe charted at #10 on the
Billboard 200
. BNYX has worked with Yeat in the past, especially on Yeat's
mixtape
"4L," on the song "Foreally/4LY," and "Tonka 2" on Yeat's extended play "Trendi"
On February 24, 2023,
Yeat
released his highly anticipated third studio album
Afterlyfe
, featuring production from Bnyx on 8 songs, which are "No more talk," "Nun id change," "Now, featuring Yeat's alter ego Luh geeky," "Slamm," "Sum 2 do," "Back home," and closing tracks "Demon tied," and "Myself." Bnyx stated that "Myself" and "Cant stop it" from Yeat's extended play Lyfe were originally supposed to be the same song, but they were split into two.
Yeat
had previously shown snippets of most of these songs on
Instagram
. On the outro track to AfterLyfe, titled "Myself," Bnyx has been credited on some background vocals over the very emotional and laid back beat. In a call on Yeats Affiliated
Discord
server following the release, Bnyx stated that his younger brother, BeautifulMvn, helped produce two tracks with him.
BNYX would go on to produce the single
Search & Rescue
released by Canadian rapper and singer
Drake
in April, along with his younger brother BeautifulMvn. In June,
Lil Uzi Vert
would release their third studio album
Pink Tape
, and on the track "
Aye
(featuring Travis Scott,) Bnyx has production credits. A month later he would co-produce Kash Krabs's (Oddwin) "DYNASTY" with producers "Harz" & "Snapz". In the same month, Bnyx would appear as a co-producer on
Travis Scott
,
Bad Bunny
, and
the Weeknd
's song "
K-pop
".
Discography
[
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]
Albums
[
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]
Mixtapes
[
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]
Singles
[
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See also
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References
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]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
"Working On Dying in real life"
.
The Fader
.
Archived
from the original on July 27, 2020
. Retrieved
August 11,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
"The Rise and Rise of Working on Dying"
.
LO-FI The Magazine
. November 27, 2019.
Archived
from the original on January 17, 2021
. Retrieved
February 18,
2021
.
- ^
Lucas Foster (September 6, 2017).
"Hit the Gym: On the Proliferation of Tread Music"
.
Passion of the Weiss
.
Archived
from the original on November 12, 2020
. Retrieved
August 11,
2020
.
- ^
"SleepWalker 2019 Freshman List"
.
WOBC-FM
.
Archived
from the original on February 18, 2021
. Retrieved
February 18,
2021
.
- ^
Felicity Martin.
"The 10 Best Dark Underground Trap Bangers, according to Mutant Joe"
.
DummyMag
.
Archived
from the original on January 19, 2021
. Retrieved
February 18,
2021
.
- ^
"9 Producers To Watch In 2018"
.
Complex
.
Archived
from the original on October 4, 2020
. Retrieved
February 18,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Working On Dying Collective Responds To Lil Uzi Vert's Leak Debacle"
.
HotNewHipHop
.
Archived
from the original on July 27, 2020
. Retrieved
February 18,
2021
.
- ^
"Producer Forza Threatens Suicide After Lil Uzi Vert Calls Him Out"
.
HotNewHipHop
.
Archived
from the original on March 2, 2021
. Retrieved
February 18,
2021
.
- ^
Schwartz, Danny (January 4, 2021).
"Playboi Carti Lives Out His Vampire Rock Star Fantasy on 'Whole Lotta Red'
"
.
Rolling Stone
.
Archived
from the original on January 4, 2021
. Retrieved
February 18,
2021
.
- ^
"Freddie Gibbs Taps Schoolboy Q for New Single "Gang Signs"
"
.
Complex
.
Archived
from the original on February 5, 2021
. Retrieved
February 18,
2021
.
- ^
Working on Dying by Bladee
,
Apple Music
, December 28, 2017
, retrieved
June 23,
2023
- ^
Waiting to Die by Working on Dying
, December 4, 2020
, retrieved
June 23,
2023
- ^
Outta Here Soon by NxG & Working on Dying
, October 29, 2021
, retrieved
June 23,
2023
- ^
Cold Visions by Bladee
,
Apple Music
, April 24, 2024
, retrieved
May 6,
2024
- ^
"LSMN, by THE LOOSIE MAN"
.
Working on Dying
. Retrieved
June 23,
2023
.
- ^
"This And That, by The Loosie Man and Oogie Mane"
.
Working on Dying
. Retrieved
June 23,
2023
.
- ^
WORKING ON DYING - TREAD MIXXX
, retrieved
June 23,
2023
- ^
"End of Daze - Single"
.
Apple Music
. Retrieved
June 11,
2020
.