Thursday, March 13   9:00 p.m.
Beauty Bar   (617 E 7th St)

Juiceboxxx is a 21-year-old rapper and producer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His brand of "energy music" is rooted in the past 30 years of rap and dance and informed by an urgent punk sensibility. Live, Juiceboxxx is the rare performer who takes cues from both Big Daddy Kane and Iggy Pop, kicking up a storm of energy that is at once thrillingly unhinged and masterfully delivered.

Juiceboxxx started rapping, producing, and performing at the age of 15. He spent his high school career playing shows with a strange mix of punks and noiseniks in basements and rental halls throughout the Midwest. These shows are the foundation of Juiceboxxx; sweaty free-for-alls where energy and fun go hand in hand with mic skills and crowd rocking.

2005 saw graduation from high school, his first official EP release, and an East Coast tour with acclaimed multi-media artist Frankie Martin. Flash forward to 2006: more DIY touring and collaborations with friends but no new records. Then, two releases in January 2007: a split 7" with Brooklyn duo Japanther and a collaborative 12" with New York producer Dre Skull. The aforementioned 12", titled "Sweat", became an international hip house smash, finding Juiceboxxx rocking glossy discotheques in addition to more familiar underground-style venues.

Later in 2007, Juiceboxxx hit the road with Japanther, Brazilian ragers Bonde Do Role, and a mysterious Virginia freak out troupe called Google Earth. In addition, he provided vocals for Spank Rock producer XXXChange's 12" release on Turntablelab's Money Studies Records. "Center Stage", the collaborative follow up to "Sweat", drops December 11th on Vicious Pop Records and a 12" is in the pipeline for Los Angeles based label Iheartcomix.

On his new releases Juiceboxxx delves deeper into dance music as well as exploring the rap and pop of his childhood and dealing with lyrical themes that combine the dance floor formalism of Tyree Cooper with the conflicted, open road optimism of Bruce Springsteen. It is hard to say exactly what the future holds for Juiceboxxx, but one thing is certain: every time his feet hit the stage you can expect a show. That means no less than 200 percent, a lot of guts, and more than a fair share of tension.