The Eye features music’s premiere rising artist in a stripped-down studio space to deliver renditions of their finest songs with just one camera, one microphone, and one take. The latest group to bask in the spotlight is Phony Ppl, a Brooklyn band that you probably know better than you think.
The five-piece group combines sounds of hip-hop, R&B, soul, and more, and they’ve been doing that for over a decade now. Their biggest chart success came in 2015 with the release of the album Yesterday’s Tomorrow, which found its way onto the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. Months later, they made their television debut by backing Fetty Wap for his Jimmy Kimmel Live! performance of “Trap Queen” and “My Way.”
More recently, they turned some ears in their direction with the 2020 single “Fkn Around,” a fun and funky tune that boasts a feature from Megan Thee Stallion. (They previously debuted the song together in Meg’s 2019 Tiny Desk Concert performance.) Also in 2020, the group linked up with Joey Badass for “On My Sh*t.”
These days, Phony Ppl is fresh off the release of their latest album, Euphonyus from November 2022. Also these days, they recently graced The Eye with a trio of performances.
The group sounds tight on “Why iii Love The Moon,” a jazzy and vibrant cut that comes with a simple but thought-provoking message: “That’s why I love the moon / Every night it’s there for you / It’s constant / Unlike these human beings / Who lie about what it seems to be.”
Beyond that, they also delivered the funky “Nowhere But Up” and, of course, “Fkn Around.” They didn’t get Meg to join them in the studio for this rendition, but even without her, the song’s smooth and infectious energy holds up tremendously well.
Watch Phony Ppl perform “Why iii Love The Moon,” “Fkn Around,” and “Nowhere But Up” for The Eye above.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.