Ruby Ibarra

Born in the Philippines, Ruby spent the first 4 years of her life in Tacloban City before her family eventually settled in San Lorenzo, California. Submerged in the melting pot of the Bay Area, Ruby's adolescent years introduced her to a wide array of cultures, experiences, and most importantly: hip hop, which resonated at every corner of her neighborhood.

Known for her sharp lyricism and rhythmic multi-syllabic flows, Ruby attributes her musical identity to being a child during the 90s-- constantly hearing Tupac, Eminem, and Wu Tang Clan play on the radio and television, she instantly knew rap was the best way she could express herself. Witnessing the "golden era" of hip hop during her formative years, she has never forgotten the sounds that she was initially introduced to and quickly fell in love with.

As a teenager, Ruby began crafting her own rhymes until she began to develop her own style and became comfortable with sharing her story. She quickly picked up music production shortly therafter and eventually started performing publicly, starting in the college and local venue circuits.

In 2010, Ruby began releasing multiple videos on Youtube, which created a buzz after several of those videos were featured on XXL Magazine and Worldstar Hip Hop. Her videos, Game Up and Dosey Doe, each amassed over 100,000 views, eventually garnering the attention of DJ Kay Slay, who gave her the nickname, "Hip Hop."

On December 12, 2012, Ruby released her debut mixtape, Lost in Translation, hosted by DJ Kay Slay, which premiered that same night on Shade 45 Satellite Radio in New York City. Since its release, Lost in Translation has accumulated over 50,000 Soundcloud streams and nearly 100,000 digital downloads.

Ruby's unmatched talent and work ethic has allowed her to be featured on Buzzfeed, NPR and Huffington Post, while having the opportunity to perform on large stages such as Rock the Bells Festival, Paid Dues Festival, and Araneta Coliseum. Additionally, in 2016, she had three independent videos each gain over 1,000,000 views in less than one week.

Through these efforts, Ruby has been able to showcase to the world her intricate lyricism and powerful messages. She is currently working on her debut album set for release in early 2017.