Photo by Liz Padova

Zilla Rocca, the black cherry plucker, public pool poisoner, Scorsese Cinephile, bottle breaker, corner store crusher, root beer fade fanatic, dime store detective, pulp fiction sage, comic book kingpin, noir-hop creator. A man of many hats who dips in and out of the Philadelphia consciousness since 2006. What would you expect from an artist influenced equally by Raymond Chandler, Raekwon, and David Lynch?
 
Whether collaborating closely with Philly bass giant Starkey, Has-Lo of Mello Music Group, or Half Past Never Band straight outta Helsinki, Zilla brings his blend of worn leather zen, deft storytelling, and lucid imagery without pause. Whether solo or as one-half of the noir hop outfit 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers with producer Douglas Martin aka Blurry Drones, Zilla Rocca has quietly stayed prolific but never redundant.
 
After running his indie hip hop label Beat Garden Entertainment for four years, Zilla Rocca is now the sole propietor of Three Dollar Pistol Music and has partnered with World Around Records for the release of his latest EPs Bad Weather Classic and Nights & Weekends. His music has been featured in URB, 2DopeBoyz, LA Weekly, MySpace Featured Music, and more. He has performed in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, New York, and almost everywhere in Philadelphia over the years. 
As a solo artist and with Curly Castro as 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers live, Zilla has shared the stage with Mount Kimbie, Shlohmo, The Knux, Black Sheep, Nocando, One.Be.Lo, Elucid of Lessondary Crew, Random aka MegaRan, Buff 1, Reef the Lost Cauze, Open Mike Eagle, Kuf Knotz, Has-Lo, and more. 
Zilla Rocca is a lifelong Philadelphian.  Though he is a fan of the 76ers and Temple Owls basketball, do not try to convince him to become a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles or Philadelphia Phillies.