Anti-Citizens are Mr. Ridley (rhymes and beats), Bazerkowitz (rhymes), and DJ Artistry (turntablism). Bazerkowitz appeared in the movie Dodgeball and did various stunt work in major motion pictures.
Mr. Ridley produces beats for Orko Eloheim, Parker and the Numberman, Black Mikey, and others. As a teen, he drummed and sang in bands like Sway, which recorded at Temple Productions, run by future members of Vokab Kompany.
The debut Anti-Citizens album Tunnel Visionaries (the original band name) produced by Ridley, was released in 2007. “Making music is effortless for us,” says Ridley. “Where the real work comes in for any independent artist is the grind of getting the music out to the people.”
The group raps about something called Operation Wake the Fuck Up. “That’s to bring consciousness back to the general population of listeners. Especially the ones who don’t even realize yet that hip-hop is in fact music, and there’s more to us than what 93.3 FM and MTV shows you.”
As for the way hip-hop is often portrayed in the media, “Throughout many years,” says Ridley, “I have watched as various media outlets in San Diego have categorized and stereotyped many hip-hop acts into a sum majority which reflects a bare minimum of our true intellectual output...the spoken word is more powerful than GOD, as GOD is the written word of MAN. God rests inside each and every being that is and always will be ALIVE. We are the holy keepers of LIFE, the most precious resource on earth.”
In early 2012, Bazerkowitz released BB King Kong, a joint recording collaboration with local rapper Black Mikey, some of which features Mikey’s cousin Orko the Sycotik Alien, Angel of Death, Kount Villa, and occasional beats by Mr. Ridley of Anti Citizens.
Stars, Monsters, Blackholes was released in August 2015.