Check Out Brandon Pulphus’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Pulphus.

Hi Brandon, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Technically I got my start in hip hop in the 7th grade, writing remixes to T.I. songs during class and freestyling (or attempting to) every chance that I could. I was inspired by my older brother who was also an artist, but he wasn’t too interested in showing me the ropes so I found my own way. I worked on songwriting and freestyling for a few years, and in my sophomore year of high school ran into my engineer friend Paul Heng who recorded my very first track. We kept making music together, and eventually, Paul’s older sister Kristine ended up booking us to perform at one of her birthday parties. Paul and I completed two mixtapes, and performed a few more shows until we started college. I continued to pursue music while in college. Recording in my dorm room, and performing at dive bars and open mics, I continued to improve and pick up steam. Eventually, I joined up with a hip-hop collective called “HomeGrown Ent”. We opened up for some national acts such as Bubba Sparxx and Redman, and went on a four-city tour in Minnesota. After a few years with them, I moved to Minneapolis and continued on as a solo act. I went to as many open mics as I could, started getting booked for shows more frequently, and started curating events at Cabooze, Honey, and Fine Line. After a few years of refining my craft and making connections, I ran into Nur-D at a Shut Up and Rap event. Out of the performers of the evening, the judges narrowed it down to him and me. Unfortunately for me (lol), he ended up claiming his fourth or fifth championship in a row that night. Afterwards, he approached me and we clicked almost instantly. We would see each other on our respective journeys here and there, and after a couple of years of that he asked if I would be interested in joining his new collective “FairPlay Entertainment”, and the rest is history.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s always a struggle to get venue owners and artists in better positions than you to work with you as an up and comer, but I loved hip hop and was pretty damn adept at it. So I never felt pressure to try and fit in with any particular crowd, and was able to win over new fans with my talent. Other than that the only struggles I had were learning how to deal with entertainment culture and the kind of people that reside in it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an entertainer, event curator, promoter, actor, songwriter, recording, and touring artist. I specialize in high-level lyricism, but I’m known for my magnetic stage presence and have been told I bring “Headliner Energy” to every performance. I’m most proud of my ability to command a room full of people who had no idea who I was when I entered the stage. I think my polished craft sets me apart from others. There are very few people my age who have put this kind of time into it.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I can’t call it. The industry has probably changed at least 100 ways since I started my journey, and it’s an ever-evolving beast. I guess I’d say music will become more and more cookie-cutter, and shallow. Fans are no longer listening for content as much as they are to follow a trend or to be spoon-fed what they should be feeling (if that makes sense.)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://fairplayentertainment.org/brandon-pulphus
• Instagram: brandondpulphus
• Twitter: BrandonDPulphus
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVou3jzUPkHGQofsxGyTc7A
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/brandon-pulphus

Image Credits
Jess Richart
Marrie Weigel