Combining pounding beats, quick, poignant lyrics, and pop culture references, Alpha Riff is a hip hop artist who deftly weaves his once nerdy - now mainstream - lifestyle into his art. Whether it’s comparing love to dungeons and dragons or envisioning himself as a digital bounty hunter, everything he touches has the same epic, broad appeal that you would expect from the content he references.

Alpha Riff was born in Biloxi, Mississippi and called many different locales home - including Japan. Music, filmmaking, and computer programming became more than hobbies - they were a way of life. Considered a stereotypical nerd early in life, he spent most of his time honing his talents and sharing those interests with like-minded individuals. With musical influences ranging from Lupe Fiasco and Snoop Dogg to Deftones and Coheed and Cambria, his music became an amalgamation of different styles accompanied by visual storytelling.

In 2012, Alpha Riff released his brand of alternative hip-hop to the world. In 2013, after a shoutout via tweet by the Godfather of Nerdcore, MC Frontalot, he began picking up steam and attention from music blogs and social media outlets, leading to the release of his first full-length album, From Beta to Alpha Riff. He crossed the country playing shows in Texas, California, Massachusetts, and more. At the beginning of 2014, he relocated from Cincinnati, Ohio to New Orleans, Louisiana to be closer to family, both blood and musical, after having the chance to open for one of his biggest inspirations, Random AKA Mega Ran.

On November 8, 2014, Alpha Riff released his second full-length album, a 23 track Hip-Hopera called Digital Champions: Migdal Bavel. The album, which came off the heels of a highly successful IndieGoGo campaign which raised $949 out of the $600 he sought, is part of Alpha Riff and MZ established group, Digital Champions Consortium, an outfit dedicated to furthering the Digital Champions story through various media, including comics, card games, mobile games, music, and more.

The story is still being written. Join Alpha Riff in the telling. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.