More than 100,000 people streamed Phoenix rapper Devilz Playground's last two singles on Spotify.
Those might not be Drake-size numbers — his streams are counted in billions, not thousands — but for a rapper who went solo just a year ago, that’s impressive.
Devilz Playground, aka Tiffany Padilla, will make her Tucson Pride Festival debut on the mainstage Saturday, Sept. 30, at Reid Park’s DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, opening for headliner Abbacadabra, one of the country’s top ABBA tribute bands.
Padilla is no stranger to Tucson. In 2021, she collaborated with Tucson hip-hop trio Unrehearsed Music Group and still works with UMG’s Luis Vasquez (OddBall AKA Yung OB), who will be a guest on her set Saturday.
She also works with Tucson sound engineer Mario Bolaños, who owns Zona Zero Recording Studio. She credits his work as being key to her recent success.
Padilla, who landed a distribution deal with indie rap label Empire, describes her music as “unorthodox hip-hop and rap” that explores relatable stories about universal issues. On “Censored,” a collaboration with fellow Phoenix rapper Melina M.A.D. Lyrics that she dropped in late July, she takes on the government and the media, social and mainstream, that play on our differences of opinion to “try to make me feel bad for some (expletive) I said.”
“Move On,” based on a poem her mom wrote in 1983 after her father died of a heroine overdose, is Padilla’s way to deal with the anger and grief of his death. The lyrics are raw and aggressive, expressing the pain, anger and other emotions Padilla felt as a 15-year-old experiencing a parent’s death.
“I think because of how bad addiction has gotten and being a child who lost a parent, I think that’s very relatable,” said Padilla, who released “Move On” a few weeks after “Censored.”
Her latest single “Goodbye,” which dropped earlier this month, is a message encouraging people contemplating suicide to reach out and get help.
“It’s more storytelling rap,” she explained. “The music that I write is based off of real life experiences that are more relatable for people.”
In addition to Vasquez, Padilla will have Melina M.A.D. Lyrics with her for her Pride show. She said she also is performing at the Pride after party at Hotel Congress Saturday night.
“I’m very excited for the Tucson Pride. I’m a lesbian and I’ve been married to my wife (Diana Salazar Padilla) eight years,” she said. “I think it’s important for people to celebrate themselves in a safe setting and be proud of who they are as people.”
