The rise of Stitches, the Miami rapper who attracted millions of page views and huge national attention for his hit "Brick in Yo Face," provides a blueprint for modern-day hip-hop myth-making. Almost overnight, Phillip Katsabanis went from being a suburban Kendall kid known as "Lil Phill" to a bona fide gangsta rapper.

Though there's scant evidence to prove his claims of being a cocaine kingpin since he hit puberty, he created a viral reality that fed on the Magic City's reputation for drugs and violence that began with Scarface's Tony Montana and continued through Rick Ross.

Over the past four months, New Times spent time with the budding star in an attempt to pull back the curtain. While some of his claims are true, others seem inflated. Moreover, he recently lost some street cred when claims surfaced that he wears fake jewelry and stages faux events like pretending to give away $10,000 to a lucky fan.

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Read the full story about the rapper Stitches, his rise to fame, and his many claims to greatness.

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Stitches cuts a terrifying figure in "Brick in Yo Face," the video that catapulted him to viral fame.

via YouTube