The Nevada Sagebrush

Key Ringz diversify local hip-hop scene

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - 2:20 AM

Key Ringz members, clockwise from top left, Kuh-D, Bond, Bnt Lo, Raffy, Myke Nyte and 24-K perform their music at local venues regularly. Photo courtesy of Amplified Entertainment.

A ukulele, a keyboard, a turntable and a pair of speakers are among the musical equipment in the taupe-colored room that is home to the six culturally-diverse members of local underground hip-hop/R&B group Key Ringz’s music.

Their studio is in the basement of one of the member’s houses. Within the basement is a small room they refer to as their recording booth. Inside, there is one microphone, a set of headphones and a music stand. Foam padding is stapled to the walls in the booth.

Key Ringz decided upon their name because of their close-knit bonds with one another and the diverse backgrounds that fuse together through their music. Key Ringz has six members whose ethnicities range from Puerto Rican to Filipino to Hawaiian.

“We all grew up together,”Kuh-D said. “We’re family. We’ve been through hard, broke and good times together.”

They met in 1995 by performing in battles for break dancing. They have been creating music together since 1998. The group members have various stage names that they go by: Kuh-D, 24-K, Myke Nyte, Bond, Raffy and Bnt Lo.

The group’s sound is based on West Coast hip-hop/rap, but their songs range from beat-crazy club songs to low-key songs with the ukulele as the guiding instrument.

In 2003, they performed at the University of Nevada, Reno for the Asian American Student Association.

They will be performing at Reno High School Thursday for the Wild West Shootout, a basketball tournament and benefit, hosted by the Sierra Kids Foundation. The foundation helps with the efforts of UNR’s Early Childhood Autism Program.

The group has more than 200 recorded tracks and has met with almost every local hip-hop or rap artist. Recently, R Boogie from local hip-hop station 102.9 FM featured their song “Lemme Hit That”on his radio program.

Their determination and perseverance keep them moving along.Â In fact, at least one of the members is in the studio every day.

When writing songs, they begin with a concept, find a beat and then go to separate corners of the studio to begin writing lyrics.

“What I like about it is that you are starting from scratch,”Myke Nyte said. “It’s like you are watching something being built and then it’s like I can’t believe that came from my mouth.”

The group feels that their music, as well as having each other, is what keeps them off the streets. They keep one another confident and focused on their goals.

“We are finally getting somewhere with music,”Raffy said.Â “It’s good to get support locally, but we are headed nationally.”

Key Ringz began playing most of their shows at local house parties. They generated so much positive energy at the parties that they decided to get serious about their music.

After they began working together, they realized that they were open-minded to different types of music. Their knack for being perfectionists helped mold their tracks into polished pieces of art.

“We’d do everything, even country with Garth Brooks if we had the chance,”Bnt Lo said.

The group enjoys when fans listen to its recorded music on MySpace.com and tell them how much they appreciate their work.

“That’s when the payoff comes, when you know that people enjoy it,”Kuh-D said.

Danielle Gonzalez can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com