Music: N. Philly's Thee Phantom is taking hip-hop Bach to the future

Sometimes, giving up your dream isn't an option. For North Philadelphia native Jeff McNeill, also known as producer/MC Thee Phantom, these have been words to live by.

Since his emergence in Philly's indie-music scene as a solo artist, Thee Phantom's unique juxtaposition of hip-hop and classical music has really taken him places. From college campuses in Texas to packed New York City nightclubs, Phantom's b-boy meets Beethoven style has left an undeniable mark on any and all who have seen him.

Thee Phantom, who will perform at the 76ers game and do a postgame concert Monday at the Wachovia Center, sat down recently to talk about where he's been, what got him there and what he hopes will get him over the hump and finally living his dream.

Q: How did you first get interested in hip-hop?

A: My father had taped the Sugar Hill Gang's song "Rapper's Delight" from the radio, and he played it for me when I was 6. As soon as I heard it, I knew that this was something that I would grow to love. I always knew I wanted to do music.

Q: By the time you were 12, you were already mixing the Beastie Boys with classical music. What inspired you to combine the two?

A: I couldn't even tell you where I got the idea from, because up to that point nobody was mixing hip-hop and classical music. I put that together, took it to my best friend's house to let him listen to it. He thought it was trash. [Laughs.]

That was the moment I became bonded to that; that incident hit me so hard - I said, "I'm going to succeed no matter what you think."

Q: You've done well for yourself since then, performing everywhere from clubs and college campuses to the Kimmel Center. What has the response been like?

A: When I started doing it, it kind of got a mixed reaction from both sides. From the hip-hop side, when you're in the back room practicing, and they see you've got a string quartet and all they have is a CD, right away there's some animosity: "Oh, this dude thinks he's better than us."

It was never really like that; it was what I wanted to do with my music. From the classical side, the first major gig I had was at the Kimmel Center [in 2002], and I worked with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. That drew some hard feelings from them because they felt like, "He's bastardizing classical music."

Now, because I've become so progressive with what I do, and I'm composing my own music, I think it's gained a lot of respect. If you actually sit down and listen to it, it's good music.

Q: How did you get that Kimmel gig?

A: I saw an article about Erik Haeker, who worked at the Kimmel Center and was looking to try different things with classical music to make it more accessible to a younger audience. I took my CD down to the Kimmel, met with him, and they booked me to their first Summer Solstice Celebration. Erik ran an organization called Arts In Motion and hooked me up with musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia for my performance. One of them was violist Renard Edwards, who 30 years earlier became the first African-American musician to play for the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Q: As of late, you've been touring a lot of colleges. How did you start on the college scene and what's it like doing that as opposed to shows at traditional venues?

A: I started getting my music out through college radio, and I've had a couple of my singles reach No. 1 on quite a few stations. Someone from a college where my song was doing well said, "We're putting on a show, would you like to come and rock out?"

It really took off to where now I'm able to support myself with college touring. It's been great, as opposed to rocking a club or something like that. At the college age, you're really trying to find yourself and you're open to a lot of stuff. You're really not set in your ways. So when somebody brings something new, you're more willing to accept it.

Q: What projects do you have in the works right now?

A: I'm getting ready to release my second album, "Making of an Underdog." That will be available on iTunes on March 30, but I will have advance copies for sale at the Sixers' game.

Q: What artists and musicians have you worked with for this album?

A: This album actually features no MCs. The only other vocalists on there will be the Phoenix and Erin Dusoul. Everything is basically live music, and I've worked with my Illharmonic Orchestra.

Most of them are based out of Philly. I have strings, horns, a piano player, a harp player, a guitar player . . . it's an orchestral hip-hop album.

Q: Not too long ago you moved up to New York. What prompted that?

A: I wanted to get closer to my music goals. I want to get into Carnegie Hall - and this [New York] is the birthplace of hip-hop. I felt as though I accomplished so much in Philadelphia, I just felt that it was time.

Q: You've been trying to perform at Carnegie Hall since you last spoke with the Daily News in 2006. What is it about the venue that has made it a constant focus for you?

A: Carnegie Hall, for me, represents the pinnacle of live performance. When I set out to [do] hip-hop and live orchestration, I wanted to take it to the highest point I possibly could.

I'm actually booked there Dec. 5 of this year, and I'm in the process of raising the capital to put on that show. [He needs $24,000 to rent the hall.] That just seems to me the place where I need to take it, so that's why I'm trying so hard to get in there.

Q: How can people help you get there?

A: By buying the CD or by going on iTunes and buying a song. With my artist's cut from iTunes, I'll need to sell approximately 4,000 albums or 40,000 single downloads to cover the cost of Carnegie. When you consider Ke$ha sold 610,000 copies of her single in a week, I don't think I'm crazy by trying to pull this off.

Q: More immediately, you have a show coming up on Monday at the Wachovia Center. What can people who have never heard your music expect?

A: They can expect me to bring my b-boy meets Beethoven style. I'll be performing with strings, horns, piano, woodwind . . . pretty much the whole gamut. I'll perform at halftime and at a postgame concert where I'll be revealing the album.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to leave readers with?

A: I would like to thank everyone who has ever supported me, who has ever come out to a show or who has ever told their friend about my music. I would like to just say I appreciate you, and I thank you very much for your support.

Thee Phantom performs at the Sixers-Knicks game, 7 p.m. Monday, Wachovia Center, 3601 S. Broad St., $15-$119, 215-336-3600, www.wachoviacenter.com.