Philthy Rich – Used To Be [Video]

Philthy Rich has never needed a grand concept to make a record hit — he just needs a real place, a real memory, and that straight-to-the-point Bay Area conviction.

On “Used To Be”, he leans into reflection without losing any of the edge, dropping an official video that lands right in the middle of his current run.

If you’ve been following Philthy for any amount of time, you already know the formula: hustle talk grounded in details, delivered by someone who sounds like he’s lived every bar. That’s been the through-line of a career built out of Oakland (Seminary/East Oakland specifically), where he’s stayed prolific and visible for years — dropping project after project and keeping his name ringing in the street-rap lane without switching up his identity.

Where “Used To Be” sits in the bigger picture

“Used To Be” lives on Philthy Rich’s 2025 album “Heart of the Hood”, a 17-track set released via FOD ENT.

That album framing matters, because “Heart of the Hood” is exactly the headspace “Used To Be” comes from: a project built around neighborhood perspective — not just flexing, but documenting what changed, what stayed the same, and what it costs to level up while still carrying the hood with you.

Philthy’s catalog has always balanced two things at once:

• the aspiration (money, motion, status, “I made it”), and
• the weight (loss, paranoia, loyalty tests, and the constant math of survival).

“Used To Be” tips heavier toward the second side — not in a preachy way, more like a late-night conversation where the point is already understood. The title alone tells you what time it is: this is about distance. From people. From places. From the version of you that existed before the upgrades and the scars.

The tone: looking back without going soft

Even when Philthy gets reflective, he doesn’t rap like he’s writing in a diary — he raps like he’s testifying. The hook idea is simple: things aren’t what they used to be, and he’s not romanticizing it. It’s more like he’s weighing the trade-offs in real time: what you gain when you get out, and what you lose when you realize you can’t fully go back.

That’s what makes the record stick. Nostalgia in rap can easily turn into “remember when” filler — but Philthy’s version is sharper: memory as evidence. The past isn’t a vibe here, it’s a receipt.

The video: a timely drop for the album run

The official video arrived December 14 stamped under FOD ENT, and it’s already moving numbers fast.
Releasing “Used To Be” with visuals is a smart choice because this is one of those records where presence matters. Philthy doesn’t need to overact the message — the mood is in how he carries the lines. That’s the kind of track that plays even harder when you can see the expression behind the bars.

And it fits the broader “Heart of the Hood” rollout, where Philthy’s been pairing key cuts with visuals and keeping the project active instead of letting it disappear after release week.

Why this one hits if you’ve been outside

“Used To Be” is for anyone who’s had to outgrow a setting without pretending it didn’t shape them.

It taps into a few themes that always land in Philthy’s lane:

• Distance from old ties: not everybody comes with you, and not everybody wants you to win.
• Survivor’s math: success changes the rules, but it doesn’t remove the pressure.
• Memory as motivation: the past isn’t a museum — it’s fuel, and sometimes it’s a warning.

That’s also why Philthy stays relatable even when the subject is money. He’s not selling fantasy; he’s narrating consequence. And because he’s been so prolific over the years, it’s dope to hear him slow the pace down emotionally without changing the voice that got him here.