As a bay area resident (by way of New York), Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist made his mark by curating top notch events featuring hip hop legends and supporting independent artists from the Bay and beyond. In 2000, his True Skool events won the "Best of the Bay" in the SF Bay Guardian. Ren has appeared on numerous publications, such as the XLR8R, 7x7, SF Weekly, SF Examiner, Mugshot and SF Magazine, to name a few. Since True Skool's inception in 1999, his online magazine and newsletter has served as a resource that covers hip hop history, politics, emerging artists and events. As a DJ, he has shared bills with world-renowned artists such as Grandmaster Flash, Jazzy Jeff, Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Kool DJ Red Alert, Q-Bert, Cut Chemist, DJ Premier, Wu-Tang Clan, Lupe Fiasco, Black Thought (The Roots), Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), Michael Franti & Spearhead, Blackalicious, Lyrics Born, Masta Ace, Biz Markie, Dilated Peoples, The Coup, KRS-One, Pharcyde, DJ Bobbito, DJ Cash Money and the list goes on. His diverse selections are influenced by his East Coast background, from b-boying in the early 80s to attending house parties and the burgeoning mobile DJ scene in New Jersey to frequenting parties like Giant Step, Soul Kitchen and legendary rave party, N.A.S.A in NYC. Ren is a professional party rocker who can put it down among the best of them with a vast arsenal of weapons to drop on any dancefloor, from hip hop, reggae, soul to house and electronic music. He has graced many venues with his non-stop seemless sets with regular appearances at Mighty, The Independent, Ruby Skye, 1015, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and Sony Metreon, among a slew of venues in San Francisco. In addition, he has appeared at the Bay's new throwback station Q102.1 FM, Michael Franti & Spearhead's annual 9-11 Power to the Peaceful Festival, Outside Lands Music Festival, now defuct Distortion2Static hip hop show, Myx.tv's Built from Scratch and KPFA's Hardknock Radio.
LED is a rising artist based in Fort Worth, TX who just dropped a new hit single titled “GANGSTALK”. This track is featured on his debut album ‘INTRODUCE’, which was released in January of this year. Check out “GANGSTALK” out now on all streaming platforms and be sure to follow LED on…See More
For most independent artists, dropping a new song feels like the finish line. After weeks or months of writing, recording, mixing, and creating visuals, the moment the track goes live feels like a huge accomplishment. And it is. But in reality, that release day is not the end of the process. It is the beginning.What happens after you drop the song is what separates…See More
Due to the recent success of PA The Writer’s viral single ‘We The Nupes’ which has garnered over 150,000 streams on all digital streaming platforms, PA decided to release a Remix featuring some of his fraternity brothers from all around the country. This was a genius move especially since the song is meant to be a tribute to his fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi. Atlanta rising star Clay James is amongst the featured Kappa Men on this song. Clay James recently released his ‘Kickin Pimpin Vol.2’ album…See More
“Radio” by Chris Catena’s Rock City Tribe is a soaring rock ballad that feels like a love letter to the past and a tribute to the future of music. Rooted in the soul of hard rock and touched with the storytelling warmth of country, this latest single showcases both artistic depth and emotional sincerity.Originally penned by the late Ryan Whyte Maloney, a respected Las…See More