Van Buren Records
Image via @xoxohadas
Van Buren Records is a Brockton, MA-based hip-hop collective and self-described, coup d’état. As Mano Sundaresan puts it, “If the Wu-Tang Clan are Shaolin swordsmen, the Van Buren Boys dual-wield pistols like they’re in a John Woo movie, firing off flows like volleys of bullets.” On some songs, you can expect to hear Valee flows or a dark, Odd Future vibe, on others you can expect to hear something like a new-age, Del The Funky Homosapien, and other times, you might even get an Elton John sample. Yes, they have a crazy, new, and unique sound where you never really know what you’re going to get on a new song, but much like other recent spawning hip-hop groups like AG Club and Bums, the group is more than just music, having four designers as part of their roster. The group is comprised of 12 currently active members: lyricists Luke Bar$, ET (fka SAINT LYOR), FELIX! (fka Lord Felix), Jiles, Home Invader/Invada, and Meech BOLD, producers Ricky Felix, RLouie, Andrew Regis (who attended the Revenge of the Dreamers III sessions), and designers Mo, Kiron, and Shelby.
The group formed around 2014, but did not really start moving until 2016. Some of the members knew each other from school, but the group marks its start at a recording studio/creative hub called SoundLab in Brockton. Their name originated from an episode of Seinfeld, where there was a gang called the “Van Buren Boys,” which the group credits former member, Rui in coming up with.
Individual members have been releasing projects since 2019, but as a collective, Van Buren Records released its first project, Bad For Press in April 2021, with standout tracks, “Medic,” “BRAINDEAD” and “Outro.” Just a few months later, the group would team up with producer, AzizTheShake to release, BLACK WALL STREET - EP in August 2021. The five-track project sees heights on the single, “CASH RULES” and the Jazz Cartier-assisted, “CULT.” The group also continues to release music as solo artists. Early releases like Lord Felix’s “The Worst Summer Ever,” Jiles’ “Brag,” and SAINT LYOR’s “Aunt Jemima” and “This Is Not an Image”
In September 2021, Van Buren Records opened up for Isaiah Rashad at his first show of his Lil Sunny’s Awesome Vacation Tour in Boston, MA. The Van Buren x TDE connect would continue in October, when Van Buren Records member, Luke Bar$ teamed up with Childish Major to co-produce the track, “Not For Me” by REASON featuring Wale and Adé.
In September 2022, VB returned with DSM. The project saw high points with the lead single, “Foul,” the melodic “GO,” and the Conway the Machine assisted “The Source.” In 2023, the Van Buren Records group members began to release solo projects, including Luke Bar$’s Angels Never Die, Meech’s 28 and Money Man Meech - EP, ET’s #ET, and Jiles’ Mookie Blaylock.
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