Apoc

With wit, revolutionary pedagogy and literary allusions as his ammunition, Apoc fires lyrical cannons at old guard hip-hop.  Known for his aggressive rapid-fire delivery and willingness to experiment, his collaborations with producer Earmint are always chock full of surprises.
www.myspace.com/apocmusic

Apoc & Brendan B

Friends since their childhood in Chicago, Apoc & Brendan B have moved west and established themselves as stalwarts of the San Diego hip-hop scene.  Their alcohol-drenched lyrics set over Earmint’s soulful and melodic beats hearken back to a time when hip-hop was still about having fun and rocking the mic riiiiight!!
www.myspace.com/brendanb1212
www.myspace.com/apocmusic

Earmint

Grounded in hip-hop but with roots that encompass the entire pantheon of electronic music, the scope of Earmint’s sound grows with each release.  The success of his elaborate compositions lies in their ability to transcend their influences (whether synth-pop, dubstep or glitch-hop) and become something wholly unique and yet remarkably accessible.
www.myspace.com/earmint

Elfamail

Taken for face value, Elfamail’s comedic, sarcastic and often raunchy songs make him a forerunner for funniest goddamn rapper of all time, but the true watermark of his brilliance is the poignant political satire and social criticism that inform his humor.  Earmint’s lo-fi production works to compliment his understated delivery as Elfa spits in the face of hip-hop conventions.
www.myspace.com/earmintandelfamail

Grauwelt

Dark, aggressive and haunting, Grauwelt’s songs exist in a place where the last 20 years of electronic music are happening all at once…or maybe they never happened at all, and the global tastemakers all still have their ears glued to the exciting industrial electro sounds pumping out of warehouse parties in Chicago and Berlin.  It’s the soundtrack to a future that hasn’t happened…yet.
www.myspace.com/grauwelt

Langston Bukowski

Stinking of last night’s debauchery and clouded in a haze of weed smoke, Langston Bukowski drunkenly stumbled into existence as if by accident.  Born from mcs Apoc and Racecar’s mutual affinity for abusing substances and waxing poetic about social ills, their music is boozy, bluesy and messy, just like its authors.
www.myspace.com/apocmusic

Meat Number 5

Both veterans of the Chicago hip-hop scene, Ricky Ropesack and DJ Once-a-month join forces to deliver hard-hitting, sample-driven downtempo under the moniker Meat Number 5.  Their songs unfold like conversations, with Once-a-month’s innovative scratching making subtle assertions over Ropesack’s dark and menacing beats.
www.myspace.com/meatnumber5

Rel

Rel fashions clean, precise, multi-layered hip-hop tracks using a palette of handclaps, soul chops and synthesizer stabs that make even the most rhythmically impaired necks bob to the beat.  He’s just as comfortable crafting smooth, understated, emotive songs as he is making bold and epic bangers, rendering him one of the most versatile and exciting producers working in the medium today.
www.myspace.com/relevar

The Ritz

Cinematic in both scope and sound, The Ritz construct soulful, evocative songs that work to tell morally ambiguous tales about the underbelly of modern America. The collaboration between Apoc and Rel results in a collection of rap songs catered to “the drunks and the deadbeats, the dissed and despised, the heathens, the heartless. “ The Ritz has arrived.
www.myspace.com/apocmusic
www.myspace.com/relevar