From Philly Ciphers To Nerdcore Stages: Steve Skax On Art, Family, And Hustle

Send us Fan MailThe moment you decide to end something beloved is the moment your standards get loud. We talk with author-engineer-artist Steve Sxak about closing the Marston House Cipher after 15 years of free, culture-first sessions—and why a final-season victory lap and documentary are the right way to honor it. The reasons are honest: parenthood, touring, writing, and an unwillingness to do a half-speed version of a pillar that helped define Philly’s underground hip-hop.From there we dive into the shifting DNA of battle rap. Steve’s watched the scene evolve from off-the-top, on-beat warfare to intricate, months-in-the-making a cappella performances. We break down the pros and cons of both, the real boundaries—words are open, hands are not—and the intangible skills that separate a punchline from a moment: timing, breath, and crowd control. Philly is the backdrop for it all—late nights, tight roads, and tighter communities that push you to grow or get left.Creation doesn’t stop at the booth. Steve’s touring with The Heroes League into SXSW’s Nerdcore Days, carrying a mobile studio to capture spontaneous collabs. He’s dropping a project every month across hip-hop, R&B, folk, and punk, plus a hard-knock record with Amsterdam’s Skinny Bones the Godfather that’s taking him to Europe and beyond. We also unpack the surprise hit of his YA novel, Invasion Of The Punk Rockers Who Drink Blood, how a joke title became a serious story about belonging and real-world monsters, and what it took to bring it to life.Underneath the accolades is a working parent’s blueprint: homeschooling for flexibility and focus, kids in the room learning engineering and rhythm, and a studio practice that values preparation over posturing. If you’ve ever wrestled with when to close a chapter, how to protect your standards, or how to build a creative life that still makes room for Nerf wars and bedtime, this conversation lands. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves hip-hop and books with bite, and leave a review with your take: is anything off-limits in battle rap?Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: The SHITTS Podcast. Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart Radio. Subscribe and comment.