Ez Mil

Filipino-American rapper, singer, and songwriter Ez Mil, born Ezekiel Miller, first gained widespread notice through his energetic fusion of hip-hop, trap, and indigenous Filipino musical traditions. His breakthrough arrived via the 2020 Pinoy-pride anthem “Panalo,” which appeared on his debut album Act 1. After issuing Resonances that same year, he later unveiled an expanded edition of his third project under the title DU4LI7Y:REDUX.

Ezekiel Miller entered the world in 1998 in Olongapo, Philippines, into a household steeped in music; his father, Paul Sapiera, performed with RockStar and Arkasia, while his mother, Hazel Miller, worked as a singer and longtime industry professional. Around age ten he developed an interest in guitar through Guitar Hero, and by his teenage years he had become self-taught on that instrument as well as bass, piano, and drums. Influences ranging across hip-hop and death metal prompted him to begin writing and recording original material. At seventeen he relocated to Seattle alongside his mother, after which the family settled in Los Angeles. He later pursued architecture studies in college prior to moving to Las Vegas. During 2019 and 2020 his attention increasingly turned toward self-production.

That focus yielded the independently produced Act 1 in 2020, highlighted by “Panalo” (Tagalog for “victory”), on which Miller delivered verses in Tagalog, Ilocano, and Cebuano while weaving in rhythmic elements of the traditional cariñosa dance. The accompanying video spread rapidly online, surpassing thirty million views. By year’s end he had issued his second album, Resonances, which contained the track “1st & Last.”

Ez Mil resurfaced in July 2022 with DU4LI7Y, whose cut “Up Down” drew the interest of Eminem and Dr. Dre. The pair facilitated his signing to a joint arrangement involving Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope. In the wake of that deal the label issued the expanded DU4LI7Y:REDUX, which added the Eminem collaboration “Realest.”