Philly's Most Wanted
| Company type | Hip hop duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1990s |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States |
Key people | Al Baseer "Boo-Bonic" Holly, Joel "Mr. Man" Witherspoon |
| Products | Hip hop music, albums, singles |
Philly's Most Wanted was a hip hop duo originating from Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, composed of Al Baseer "Boo-Bonic" Holly and Joel "Mr. Man" Witherspoon. They gained notable underground attention during the mid-1990s and contributed as ghostwriters while appearing on projects such as Pras’s Ghetto Supastar album and the soundtrack for Slam. Early in their trajectory, Jay-Z extended an offer for them to join Roc-A-Fella Records shortly after his debut Reasonable Doubt. Although they received various proposals, they ultimately inked a deal with Atlantic Records, while preserving close connections with Roc-A-Fella, which played a part in launching Beanie Sigel’s career. Additionally, the duo was linked with the production collective The Neptunes, instrumental in facilitating Pharrell Williams’ collaboration with Jay-Z.
In 1999, Philly's Most Wanted signed with Atlantic Records and released tracks like "Y'all Can't Never Hurt Us," "Suckas," and "Cross the Border," the last of which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and climbed to number 3 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. Their first album, Get Down or Lay Down, featured production from The Neptunes, Just Blaze, and Epitome and experienced a delay exceeding a year before its release on August 7, 2001. The album’s concluding single, "Please Don’t Mind," also appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Despite favorable responses from fans, the album reached only the Billboard 200, partly due to minimal promotion by BET for their video "Cross the Border."
After receiving limited support from their label following the album’s release, the duo parted ways with Atlantic Records. They shortened their name to Philly's Most because of copyright concerns and issued their sophomore album, Ring the Alarm, in 2004 before disbanding.
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | ||
| 2001 | Get Down or Lay Down
|
69 | 20 |
| 2004 | Ring the Alarm
|
– | 70 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | |||
| 2000 | "Cross the Border" | 98 | 50 | 3 | Get Down or Lay Down |
| "Y'all Can't Never Hurt Us" | – | – | 13 | ||
| 2001 | "Please Don't Mind" | – | 48 | 10 | |