No One #3 – Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA

It is often said that knowledge is power. And if that’s true, then in times like ours, knowing might be our most radical act of resistance. ISSUE 03 seeks to build collective strength through knowing more about a city whose truth and significance has always been self-evidenced: Philadelphia.

To know Philadelphia is to first reconcile its impact with its lack of recognition: the foundations too often forgotten, the unsung legends endlessly sampled, the grassroots that upend, and the undeniable influence of the underfunded and underrepresented.

Knowing Philly is also recognizing the liberation strategy it pioneered:

1. Challenge the mind.

In 1964, Philadelphia’s own Drum became the most widely circulated gay magazine in the U.S., fusing news, erotica, and satire to push queer visibility into the mainstream.

2. Move the body.

Well before Stonewall, in 1965, queer and trans Philadelphians staged one of the first organized protests for LGBTQIA+ rights in the U.S.: Dewey’s sit-ins.

3. Touch the soul.

Philadelphia soul soundtracked the world with lush strings, deep grooves, and extended mixes, becoming source material for early house music. Earl Young, session drummer for MFSB, The Trammps, and other bands, pioneered the four-on-the-floor kick that moved from 1970s Philly studios into disco, then house and techno.

4. Keep it going.

30 years of Ballroom, with icons like Kevin Jz Prodigy, Robbie Tronco, VJtheDJ, and DJ Delish defining its sound. Renegade parties. DIY spaces. Mutual aid. Block parties. Lumberyard raves. Protests. Crowdfunds. Takeovers. Warehouses. You name it.

Philly has always had “something for your mind, your body, and your soul.”

In the third issue of No One Magazine, we hope to make visible the people behind this city’s well of knowledge: elders who laid the path and continue to build it, new generations constructing different scenes, organizers reclaiming public space, trans performers who turn heads then turn tables, historians, dancers, and beatmakers.

Through all these conversations, one thing becomes crystal clear: this city gives far more than it ever asks in return. So, humbly, No One asks on its behalf: Know the history. Know the people. Know the sounds. Know Philadelphia.