Joe Urban is a 22-year-old designer, producer, and entrepreneur from Shorewood, Wisconsin. Signed to his own label 1420b (@1420bmedia), Urban releases experimental hip-hop as a soloist. He is one half of the producer duo People, alongside his good friend and business partner Ethan Wendt. People has produced for artist such as Ayooli, Run Along Forever, Lavish Liam, varnish414 and Maz G. In 2022, the pair opened Niche Exhibit, a retail space offering "garments and collectibles curated to 'fill the niche'". Charged iPhone, a streetwear clothing line, is the latest venture from the multifaceted artist.
Ian Vailliencourt: In your music, a consistent theme is layered vocal tracks. What inspired this unique element?
Joe Urban: Trying to make the music as unlistenable as possible.
Vailliencourt: What led to your amassment of underground connections and such a unique and cult fanbase?
Urban: Maz G (@maz._.g) really put me on. In August, I dropped “You Have Never Been to Atlanta '' with Ayooli (@bruddermanofficial) which also put me on. Obviously doing people’s merch helped me gain connections. It starts with just being a fan of the culture, and then you just kind of tap in. Having a studio space has also helped.
Vailliencourt: What made you decide to launch your own high fashion clothing venture?
Urban: One day I realized that streetwear was sort of dead. Charged Iphone is essentially just a project to try and get clout from making recognizable logos and keeping the design simple- like an iPhone. Obviously, the meaning goes deeper. The inspiration came from realizing that high-end designers try to deliver us a product that isn’t any different from authentic streetwear brands aside from ripping logos. That’s just streetwear, though. Charged iPhone is really just Balenciaga and Margiela reproduction, but with styling Hayley makes it look like something completely new.
Vailliencourt: Your work tends to constantly reference itself, which leads to your concentric ideas.
Urban: The lore associated with Charged iPhone is super important. With a brand, if you copy something that already happened but you don’t know that it happened it lacks intention, it’s kind of stupid. You need to at least know what you’re referencing.
Vailliencourt: Two years ago you started Niche Exhibit.
Urban: Ethan @dawoodsify) had thought about opening a retail space. The day Virgil Abloh died he hit me up with the idea and said “let’s do this.” We talked about the plan quickly and just decided that was the time. The niche that we cater to with our space is really what makes it special. It’s been crazy seeing how, as a creator, you build a relationship with the brands and people you do business with. Like, Bladee was such a founding part of creating the music subgenre and community we exist in. Even Xavier (@xaviersobased) ties in. It’s a big community, but it feels small. If you’ve ever heard of Bladee, you probably also listen to Snow Strippers and Surf Gang and even Glaive or (os)quinn. The music is kind of hyperpop with elements of drill and other New York styles. It even kind of ties to Carti (Opium) sh*t. That’s the niche of Niche Exhibit. The nice thing about Niche is that you can find people who appreciate sh*t like that in person who you’d never meet otherwise.
Vailliencourt: What can we expect next from Joe Urban?
Urban: Ay man, album on the way. It’s gonna go crazier than Carti’s album. Nah, but real sh*t, I got an album with Dorian (@feardorian) on the way.
Listen to Joe Urban's album: Dropped, and the rest of his discography on Spotify.