Supreem takes over the stage with a 12-member band

Supreem and the New Experience will bring their blend of old-school funk and hip-hop to The Fire.
Credit: Zamani Feelings Photography

These days, Philly hip-hop mainstay Supreem Dareglater goes by, simply, Supreem. But while his moniker may be stripped down, his new sound is amped up, filled out, funked up and louder than ever.

His latest band, Supreem and the New Experience, is a tight fit on almost any local stage, with 12 members performing an upbeat, feel-good blend of old-school funk and hip-hop.

“I never saw this coming. When I pictured myself performing these songs, I just saw two turntables and a microphone,” says Supreem.

But when longtime session musician — and now PEW Fellow — Chuck Treece entered the recording process, Supreem’s vision changed completely.

“I kept trying to convince him to do drums on the recordings and, eventually, somehow, he wound up playing almost every instrument. He’s just amazing. Suddenly the sound was real live and organic,” explains Supreem. “I still didn’t want to put a band together for live shows, but then my manager laid it out to me: ‘Look, you need to fill this music out with a band. That’s what this sound wants to be.’”

These days the longtime local rapper embraces the big-band party feel. And why not? The new lineup recently scored a commercial coup: They’re now the official band of The Basketball Alumni Legends League (The-BALL),a new semi-pro basketball league featured on Comcast. Supreem even wrote dozens of basketball-themed rhymes for the new gig.

“There’s just not that many people doing the big funk band thing anymore. Maybe Bruno Mars? I don’t know,” says Supreem. “But, locally, people really haven’t seen this kind of thing in a while, so it’s a lot of fun for audiences when a big band like this takes the stage.”

Supreem and the New Experience
Saturday, Dec. 7
Doors open at 8 p.m.
The Fire
412 W. Girard Ave.
$8, 267-671-9298
www.iourecords.com