By Ural Garrett

On a rainy, February weekend at a rented Crescent Hills Drive home with a wide view of Los Angeles, Phora is putting the finishing touches on his Valentine’s Day release, “i still love you.” The track’s arrival was hinted at on his Instagram weeks before the drop, giving fans a taste of what to expect from a song that has him more in touch with his melodic side than ever.

“It’s just me tapping into my natural roots,” the 24-year-old rapper tells MTV News. “I’m really pushing the limit to my vocal range. I’ve been really practicing with vocal harmonies and stuff like that. It’s not a rap song. I guess you could call it an R&B song. It’s just my style and me taking a new approach. It’s the same me, just a new approach.”

That same evolving approach when discussing “i still love you” and its accompanying music video is mapped out in typical Phora fashion which, as always, revolves around his fans. Active for nearly a decade, Phora, born Marco Anthony Archer, has amassed over 2 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and music videos with eight-figure view counts. Coupled with the accounts for his signature Yours Truly apparel brand, his audience is closer to 3 million.

His considerable following hasn't yet translated to smashing chart success. But just last year he made national headlines by nearly starting a riot at the busy, Los Angeles intersection of Hollywood and Highland while conducting a meet-and-greet at the sneaker store Shoe Palace. Eight people were reportedly hospitalized at the event, where Phora gave out free shoes and Yours Truly swag to hungry fans. Around the same time, he shut down an Orange County mall after giving away $15,000 in cash and even free gas for three hours at a local gas station.

Phora performs at the 2018 Rolling Loud Festival in Los Angeles.

Anyone who’s followed Phora over the years understands the other leg of his story involves his Yours Truly clothing brand. He says the brand has taken on life of its own to the point where he’s had to manage over 20 employees on his payroll.

“On the Yours Truly side, you have manufacturing, shipping, shipping fulfillment, screen printers, and ordering blank apparels like hoodies. Sometimes, we gotta go overseas,” he said. "It’s a good thing but, I don’t have an answer for how it’s grown so far and so rapidly.”

What he does understand is the next phase for Yours Truly: a flagship store opening later this year on Los Angeles’ streetwear capital, Fairfax Avenue. Phora wants his line to be synonymous with the other stores in the area are known for the likes of Supreme, Golf, Dope, and The Hundreds.

“They’ve been doing it longer than we have so we’re like the little bro,” said Phora. “The thing about us and the main reason why we’ve been so successful is because we study. To master the game, you have to be a student first and we look at everything they do. We’re not arrogant to the reality that people have been doing this for a long time.”

While Phora adds to his juggling act, he’s also recording new music for his next album which, at the moment, doesn’t have a concept or theme, other than providing a space for him to unleash all his “emotions, feelings and shit.” 2019 will also be the year he expands his Yours Truly record label, as he begins searching for a diverse array of producers and artists.

"Whether you make happy music, sad music, R&B, whether you play piano and sing ballads, whether you got bars and you really wanna rap your ass off. We looking for anyone that's talented," he says. "I want to have a fortress. I want to give everybody an opportunity to shine."

Releasing new music, owning a full-fledged clothing brand, pleasing his rabid fanbase, and putting the gears in motion to grow his label family would cause anyone to eventually burnout. However, for the sake of the people who put him in this position, Phora doesn’t see himself letting up off the gas anytime soon.

“I feel like a lot of artist have a disconnect with fans and the reason my fanbase is so strong is because I go out of my way to talk to people to look into people’s lives and get a better understanding,” Phora says. “With that, I know how people feel and they just want someone to relate to. People don’t want to feel alone.”