photos and review by Angel Park

Hip-hop, reggae, funk and indie music were all on the menu at The Fillmore Philadelphia for an eclectic night of music as Little Stranger brought its Broken Hearted Boys Club Tour to Philadelphia on September 12.

The bill featured Philadelphia-born, Charleston-based duo Little Stranger alongside Cleveland six-piece Tropidelic, Vermont rapper Jarv and Carolina rapper Damn Skippy. The lineup made for a night that moved freely between hip-hop, indie, reggae, funk and rock without ever settling into one genre.

Damn Skippy started the night with quick wit and personality. A rapper known for playful wordplay, energetic flows and humor, Skippy brought an immediate sense of momentum to the room. His set was an energetic way to open the evening and established the playful tone that would carry throughout the night.

Jarv followed with another layer of hip-hop. While his music remained firmly rooted in rap, his presence alongside Damn Skippy, Little Stranger and Tropidelic reinforced how fluid the night’s definition of genre would become. Jarv and Damn Skippy have also collaborated with Little Stranger, including on the track “Cool Kids,” making the pairing feel particularly natural.

Next up was Tropidelic, the Cleveland six-piece that provided the night’s biggest expansion of sound. 

Tropidelic arrived in Philadelphia with plenty of new material to draw from. The band’s 10th studio album, First Light, was released June 26, 2026, and features collaborations with The Movement, Collie Buddz, Fortunate Youth and Little Stranger, among others. The album continues the band’s evolution toward a more atmospheric and melodic sound while retaining the reggae-rock, hip-hop and brass-driven energy that has defined its music.

Little Stranger closed the evening. Philadelphia-born and now based in Charleston, South Carolina, Kevin and John Shields have developed a sound they describe as “organized chaos,” blending melodic hip-hop with indie, pop, funk and electronic influences. 

What made the Fillmore lineup especially interesting was how each artist occupied a different corner of the same musical neighborhood. Damn Skippy and Jarv put hip-hop front and center, Tropidelic broadened the palette with reggae, funk and rock, and Little Stranger brought those influences together through its own alternative, indie-leaning take on hip-hop.

Genre boundaries felt almost irrelevant. Instead, the night was built around movement, experimentation and good energy—a combination that made the four-act bill feel cohesive despite the range of sounds onstage.