CRASHprez (he/him) is the rap project of Michael Penn II: the Fort Washington-raised, Chicago-based artist and writer. CRASHprez oscillates between the cathartic and comedic, parsing through the wreckage of his life, this world, and the deadlock between them. This is music of rage and yearning, offering a Black queer man’s transmissions from a bizarre existence. These conditions facilitate a rap music concerned with chronicling the burning world via questions of power, desire, agency, and authenticity.

knowsthetime (he/him) is a producer and DJ based in Brooklyn, New York by way of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He’s contributed to scores of hip-hop tracks, some of them under his former production moniker *hitmayng, and co-founded the hip-hop and electronic label Catch Wreck. His sound ranges from experimental, to ambient, to improvisational jazz, including for some of his best known production work alongside CRASHprez.

Drew Empire (he/him) is a hip-hop artist born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His musical journey started in 2017 while recording his first song with his cousins in Grenada. This ignited his passion to bring his story, gritty tone, clever wordplay, and versatility to the mic. Using his influences from both US and UK music gives him a unique edge among his contemporaries.

Ivy Sole (they/them) is a Black nonbinary Philadelphian by way of Charlotte, North Carolina. Ivy’s career reflects a profound devotion to Black music, Black culture, and the duality of Black consciousness. Thus far, their catalogue includes three full length albums, several EPs and a live studio project. Ivy’s music is equal parts autobiographical and fantastical, subtly political, and genre-defying while remaining decidedly rooted in hip hop.