MANSFIELD — Get ready to experience the ultimate hip-hop night at Richland Source’s Newsroom After Hours, featuring four phenomenal artists on Friday, June 16.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at 40 W 4th Street in downtown Mansfield.
There is no cover charge, as Newsroom After Hours is a free event open to all. Free food and beer (for those 21+) are also provided courtesy of Doc’s Deli and The Phoenix Brewing Company.
Potent Studios provides professional stage lighting, visual production and is a premier sponsor of the event. DJ Dro Jack will also in attendance as the resident DJ for this show.
Let’s get to the artists.
Sempel
A 26-year-old native of Mansfield, Sempel’s music career began when his father rented a unit at Braintree where they would make music for his church and experiment sonically.
It wasn’t until 2013 when Sempel went to Relax, It’s Just Coffee during their monthly open mic nights that he tested out what he was working on to a live audience.
He began growing his brand by uploading on the online music and podcast streaming platform Soundcloud. As his online presence steadily grew, he released new music with purposeful themes, touching on stories from his past.
Sempel released the thematic trilogy “Save Yourself,” “Don’t Save Me,” and “Don’t Call Me.”
The artist said “Don’t Call Me” focuses on people he knew who didn’t want to see him grow or have a life outside of Mansfield.
Along with the trilogy, Sempel will perform a couple of new tracks, he said.
The act of performing, writing, and releasing music is a therapeutic experience for Sempel.
“It’s like a diary,” he said. “Sometimes it could even be like fiction because I could write about something that I’ve never been through or something that I’ve seen someone else go through.”
Kench
Kench, a 27-year-old resident from Mansfield, has shared his beats and rhymes throughout the country, including Florida, Missouri, and so on.
His love for writing music began when he was around nine years old, and he made it into the studio around the age of 16.
An independent artist, Kench produces what he describes as chill beats for others to hear, collecting inspiration from artists like Juice WRLD.
He records from his home studio and has had the opportunity to record with Columbus artist Doobie.
Kench reaches back to his past for lyrics, one being his song “The Chronicles.”
“I freestyle all my songs now,” Kench said. “I do write sometimes, but primarily I just feel the beat and speak straight from my heart, and then just play with the beat.”
Kench has practiced his freestyle skills since he was a kid, he said.
“I watched Lil Wayne and Jay-Z; these are artists that freestyle a lot of their songs, but it took time for them to get there, and that’s the pinnacle that I want to reach and wanted to reach,” he said. “So I still practice to this day.”
NEWERACAM
NEWERACAM, of Mansfield, has been making music roughly 13 years, recording beats and goofy raps with friends. As time went on and he matured, he started taking music more seriously.
He describes his music as “sad boy” party music, though that’s not the only style of beats he produces. NEWERACAM was part of the popular local rock/rap band Sadhour, who performed at Newsroom After Hours in October of 2021.
Since then, NEWERACAM has been focusing on his solo act and has released a few singles. Like Kench, he draws a lot of his inspiration from Juice WRLD.
Listen to NEWERACAM on Spotify.
VaunDoom
VaunDoom, who also performed at Newsroom After Hours in 2021, is excited to take the stage again at Richland Source.
He recently released the somber “The Curse of Man,” a full-length album which he touted as one of his best works. Richland Source wrote an in-depth piece on the album after attending a local listening party earlier this year.
VaunDoom is filling in for Yung Lonn, who originally was booked to perform at this show. Lonn has developed a large catalog of music and popularity in the region over the years, but had to pull out of this show due to health concerns.
“I had some health concerns last year and I’m taking my time getting back into live acts,” Yung Lonn told Richland Source.
“I’m not quite ready but I am looking forward to taking the stage for you guys in the near future and performing for the community when the time is right.”
As for VaunDoom, he’s appreciative of the opportunity to step in and showcase his talent.
“I feel like I got some shoes to fill. So I’m gonna try and make a big impression since I’m going last. I’m very excited to perform,” VaunDoom said.
On June 16, Sempel will take the stage first around 7 p.m. followed in order by Kench, NEWERACAM and VaunDoom.
Listen to VaunDoom on Spotify and watch his performance from the last time he played Newsroom After Hours below.
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