Born and bred from the multi faceted Providence, RI music scene, Channel Zero has been brewing a potent concoction of socially conscious hip hop and in-your-face punk rock for a generation that is all too eager to listen. In an industry of cookie cutter clones and watered down wannabes, this visionary band delivers that raw honesty and explosive energy which the current scene needs so desperately. The band's roots date to 2000 when Exile and Minister Ref made up half of the local legendary rap crew Birthwrite. In 2002 the band split and each member went on to pursue their own successful projects. Exile and Lokey signed to indie label Mixt-Ape and two years later their full length "Fool" hit CMJ's college radio top 20 charts. Along with DJ Full Freq they rocked shows throughout New England with such acts as
Blackalicious, Mix Master Mike, Sage Francis, Black Sheep, and RJD2.
Meanwhile, Ref continued recording, performing, and sharing the stage with many legendary acts including Wu-Tang Clan, KRS-One, and Kool Keith.
In 2006 Exile, Ref and DJ Full Freq experimented as a trio for several months before recruiting Aakif Siddiq, one of Rhode Island's premiere bassists. Guitarist Chris Hemsworth joined the band shortly after and by November 2006 Channel Zero was officially born.
Over the next 12 months they took the local scene by storm, playing every venue in town, opening up for Kid Koala and receiving praise on 95.5 WBRU (S. New England's biggest alt rock station).
With every Channel Zero show you're guaranteed a non-stop bombardment of machine-gun patterns, flailing, and flying drum sets. The same intensity holds true for their first batch of recorded songs; and so go the lyrics to Reckless, "Grind until there's nothing left / scream until your out of breath / this is what it means to be alive in case you do forget..."
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