User:SHUX WUN/sandbox

SHUX WUN (born Randall K. Murchison in 1975) is an American multimedia producer, entrepreneur, and educator from Los Angeles, California currently based in Tokyo, Japan. He is known for producing video and music projects, events, workshops, youth activities, and educational programs. He is also the founder of an artists collective known as | Music & Strength (est. 1997).

Media Appearances
2016 - The Japan Times published this newspaper article about Randall "SHUX" Murchison in the Sunday paper online and printed edition.

2014 - Brazilian news station ICPTV featured Randall Murchison in this segment broadcasted in Brazil, for an event he coordinated about Brazilian culture.

2013 - TEDxTokyo invited Randall "SHUX" Murchison to give this TED talk about his youth hip hop programs.

2012 - Future Sound TV interviewed SHUX in this segment about PREMIUM, his Tokyo hip hop event series.

2010 - Japan based media company Hale produced this short documentary about SHUX and his career path in Japan.

Radio Program
SHUX WUN first became a radio show producer & host in the mid 1990's, at a radio station on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood, Ca. He produced "The Music & Strength Show" on 99.3 FM (KCLA), which focused weekly on showcasing underground hip hop artists, plus his personal selection of jazz, soul, reggae, and electronic music. Among those he interviewed were groups such as Black Eyed Peas who were independent and unknown to most of America and the world at the time.

Video Program
SHUX also interviewed major label hip hop artists of the time such as Xzibit and  Cypress Hill as The Music & Strength Show transitioned from radio to video, becoming Music & Strength TV, showcasing dancers, graffiti art, and live performances, which he traveled coast to coast filming.

Between 1996 to the late 2000's, SHUX WUN could regularly be found distributing VHS, dvd, cd, and cassette tape copies of his audio/video productions in popular public spaces such as Venice Beach Boardwalk, Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood Walk of Fame, and at nearly every hip hop related event in Los Angeles.

Beteween 2007 to 2012 Shux also produced and hosted pre-recorded and live video broadcasts online of Music & Strength TV coverage from local events & studio locations in Los Angeles and Japan.

At-Risk Youth
SHUX also began working full time in California state funded group home facilities in the early 2000's, supervising and mentoring teens. He prided in working with at-risk youth often coming from backgrounds of juvenile hall, gangs, drugs, and dis-functional families who gained new perspectives on life through some of his direct influence.

He introduced the teens to arts and culture, positive outlets for expression, developed creative expression programs at non-profit facilities for them to participate in, took them to special events, and brought his personal music recording equipment into the group home to teach and record projects with them. Of those youth living and influenced in the group home back then was a 15 year old Deltron Jackson who later became artist Blac Heat aka Surname Blac, a respected artist in the LA hip hop scene who was later invited to work with artists such as Dr. Dre. SHUX recorded, mixed, engineered, and executive produced his first album in the group home.

Local Events
Simultaneously while beginning work with at-risk youth around 2001, SHUX was also organizing events featuring dancers, dj's, visual artists, live music performances, and open mics. Events such as The Workshop, Smokescreens, and MicRAPhone Fiend, attracted large crowds of young adults, as well as hip hop house parties with live dj's, dancers, and music performances held at his own home.

Music & Strength Crew
SHUX WUN is the founder of an independent coalition of artists, Music & Strength (est.1997), consisting of people residing all over the map, each representing various art forms. From visual art and design, to dance, photo & film/video, music production, singing/mc'ing, organizing/promoting, etc... The crew acts as a like-minded friendship base of artists to communicate and collaborate on creative ventures both locally and national/internationally. SHUX recorded, mixed & arranged, and executive produced numerous music projects for members of the Music & Strength Crew, and coordinated events & showcases for members and non-members to perform and gain local exposure. Music & Strength is currently still active with many new and old members, proudly reaching it's 20 Year Anniversary in 2017.

Riddle Records
Around 2003 SHUX began working with Riddle Records in Beverly Hills, which sent him traveling to various US cities producing hip hop video content. In 2004 he coordinated exclusive events in LA and NYC in which he featured hip hop icons of the time such as Jeru the Damaja, DJ Evil Dee, The Last Emperor, Supernatural, Aceyalone, Nocando, Dumbfoundead, Self Scientific, Boot Camp Click, Sway, and more.

Mic Control
"Mic Control" was a rap battle sponsored by Riddle Records that he organized in Hollywood which was covered by FOX news because of the enormous crowds outside due to venue capacity being reached. "Mic Control 3", which he held in New York City, boasted a $10,000 cash prize that was eventually awarded to winner Reef The Lost Cause, who became a prominent hip hop artist out of Philly.

Lyrikal Kombat
Riddle Records later released a 4 disc set dvd series entitled "Lyrikal Kombat" which was filmed almost entirely by SHUX WUN, and also featured extensive footage from events he coordinated. The dvd featured some of America's best battle rappers from east to west coast.

Stop Snitchin... DVD
In 2005 SHUX worked with the rapper The Game, filming footage for his controversial DVD Stop Snitchin Stop Lyin which was released with his very controversial mixtape of the same title. The film was done at the height of a feud between The Game and rapper 50 Cent, which documented him from the inside his home in Los Angeles to the streets of NYC, in particular 50 Cent's old stomping grounds, throwing jabs at G-Unit in all throughout in a fashion only The Game would.

The SHUX Files
In 2006 SHUX began releasing a series of videos online entitled The SHUX Files, featuring interviews and behind the scenes footage with artists such as Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Krs One, RZA, and many more as he continued producing the series throughout the years up until present day.

I Am Hip Hop
In 2007 SHUX was brought in as a multimedia producer & promoter for the website I Am Hip Hop. His job was producing web video content, coordinating promotional events, and touring alongside major artists on the Rock The Bells tour, which featured groups such as Wu Tang Clan, Public Enemy, Rage Against The Machine, The Roots, Rakim and many more.

SpitFire
SHUX also did camerawork for a groundbreaking intellectual hip hop talk show, SPITFIRE, featuring cultural icons such as Kool Moe Dee, DMC, MC Lyte, Crazy Legs, Xzibit, Melle Mel, Soren Baker, Chuck D, Grandmaster Caz, Doug E. Fresh, Nelson George, Fab 5 Freddy, MC Hammer, Heavy D, Tommy Davidson, Salt N Pepa, Kid N Play, Tavis Smiley, and many more. Unfortunately, due to the economic crash of 2008 investors in I Am Hip Hop pulled out of the company, which resulted in the episodes of SPITFIRE never being released on the website. The project was abandoned and SHUX parted with the company in early 2009.

Reaching Japan
Prior to parting ways, the company sent SHUX overseas to film hip hop culture in Japan, where he met and interviewed notable artists such as | Mummy D, | Nitro Microphone Underground, Ken the 390, | Coma-Chi, | Afra, | Sky-Hi and many more. He's worked with artists from all over Japan on video, music, events, and educational efforts and is currently developing a new platform to market, promote, and network artists with each other from the United States to Japan.

Future Sound TV
In late 2009 SHUX decided to relocate from Los Angeles to Osaka, Japan where he eventually landed Ju-X music technology company as a sponsor, and then moved to Tokyo to begin collaborating with video producer and graphics & web designer Kevin "Basir" McKalpain whom he met while filming graffiti art on the streets of Osaka a few years earlier. Lead by Basir, together they launched Future Sound TV, a web portal of video content they produced featuring music, cars, fashion, and street culture.

YEAH Kids
In 2010 SHUX began conducting various hip hop workshops for young children at private schools in Komae and Nishiarai-daishinishi entitled YEAH (Youth Enjoy Art & Hip Hop) in which he used hip hop culture to introduce conversational English and self expression to Japanese kids. The workshops covered basics in dance, graffiti art, rap, and body language. The goal was not to teach them how to be hip hop artists, but rather how to express yourself with confidence both artistically and in English. He continued the workshops until 2013 when he took a contract with KidZania Tokyo to produce activities for children at their theme park. In 2014 he produced Hip Hop Culture Week, a highly successful 4 day hip hop workshop, along with many other cultural events there unrelated to hip hop.

Premium Creative Lounge & The Breakdown
Between 2010 to 2014 SHUX simultaneously produced content for Future Sound TV and his own Music & Strength TV web channel, while also coordinating and host MC'ing hip hop events Premium Creative Lounge and The Breakdown in Shibuya on a regular basis.

Premium Creative Lounge was a bi-weekly turned monthly hip hop social gathering SHUX started in 2011, featuring live performances, open mic, film screenings, a Tex/Mex food menu and full bar. It was held at Pink Cow, a well known artist cafe/bar and served as a hub for internationals to network and lounge in a cozy homie atmosphere. With resident DJ FYO, SHUX coordinated and host MC'd each event featuring special guest dj's and performers regularly.

The Breakdown is currently an ongoing social event held at Coins Bar 300, a popular cafe/bar with cheep food and drinks that serves as a perfect place to meet for drinks before hitting the wild nightlife located all around the area outside. Resident DJ's Putafeche and Dave Clark III brought SHUX in to host MC on a bi-weekly basis in 2012 and he eventually brought in DnZ as another resident DJ.

Present Day
Due to both Basir and SHUX each separately taking contract offers from well established companies, their music websites were left idle in order to focus on corporate entities. In his current contract with client KidZania Tokyo, SHUX collaborates with theme parks, ambassadors, cultural directors of foreign embassies, and artists on creating cultural events at KidZania, as well as producing video and web content for their Global Communication Department. SHUX also continues to take on freelance video projects for local businesses and artists, as well as educate private indivdual Japanese clients in western language and cultures.

Personal Life
Born and raised on his father’s enormous soul, funk, jazz music collection and his older brother’s rap records, SHUX became indoctrinated into hip hop culture at a very early age. From graffiti, to beatboxing, mc’ing, b- boying, dj’ing, and producing, he’s done it all at some point. As a youth and son of a soldier, he grew up living in various places such as Camp Lejeune (North Carolina), Camp Pendleton (California), Quantico (Virginia), Okinawa (Japan), and Oceanside (California).

SHUX WUN began filming and editing videos at about 13 years old in Okinawa using his dad's VHS-C home video camera and VCR dubbing equipment in the late 1980's producing amateur skateboard videos, and various short films with his cousins and high school mates in the early 1990's. After high school he moved to Los Angeles, California to study Radio/Television/Film production at CSUN, and quickly became involved in the Los Angeles hip hop scene. Inspired by practicing all elements of hip hop culture, a career choice of multi-media production came naturally and he later expanded into family entertainment and education.