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.
Fresh off their back-to-back #1 Billboard hits “Only Human” and “Forever,” these Houston-based R&B hitmakers are turning the temperature all the way up with “Don’t Mind,” a late-night slow jam dripping in tension, anticipation, and grown-man restraint. Serving as…See More
Everybody is suddenly paying attention to 4Bizy… and honestly, it feels overdue. The rebrand has people talking, but it’s the silence behind it that’s making everyone curious. New image. New direction. Different mindset. Since the rebrand, the energy around his name has been completely different.Now, with July 18th right around the corner, the buzz is getting louder every day. It feels less like a concert and more like the beginning of something bigger.This isn’t a wave or a trend. This is…See More
Brian Wandtke, professionally known as Covenant of the Neo, is an independent artist from Chicago creating a futuristic blend of hip hop and electronic music that he calls “Synth Hop.” Inspired by both the synthwave and hip hop scenes, Covenant of the Neo has built a sound that mixes melodic energy, heavy production, and dance driven vibes that pull listeners into his…See More