Van Buren Records

Named after a fictional street gang featured in a Seinfeld episode, the rap collective Van Buren Records fuses the varied talents of numerous rappers, producers, visual artists, and additional creators into one distinct unit. Critical notice arrived with the group’s first studio album, Bad for Press, issued in April 2021, after which momentum continued through later projects such as the 2022 release DSM.

The collective formed in Brockton, Massachusetts, during the late 2010s, its roster comprising rappers Ricky Felix, Luke Bar$, Felix!, Jiles, Andrew Regis, Saint Lyor, Invada, and Kiron Akil. Although the local rap environment was modest next to nearby Boston, VBR members kept a steady presence in the circles they built themselves, staging frequent shows and laying down tracks. While operating jointly under the Van Buren Records name, most participants also put out solo material at a regular pace from the 2010s onward. Their inaugural full-length, Bad for Press, captured a refreshed iteration of the collective ethos behind many standout rap releases from the golden era forward. Reviewers and listeners responded positively, prompting the same-year follow-up Black Wall Street EP that included a Jazz Cartier guest verse. DSM appeared the next year as the group’s sophomore album. Roster lines remained flexible, with mainstays including Luke Bar$, Felix!, and Jiles augmented by figures such as Meech BOLD across selections on both Bad for Press and DSM.