House Rendezvous: Rich Medina

Rich Medina is an elite DJ who’s captivating narrative plays like no other. His love affair with music began in his family’s church, arguably from the womb, and has blossomed into an internationally renowned career as a platinum selling record producer, recording artist, poet, journalist, curator, university and arts institution educator, and 2021 Pew Fellowship recipient.

Medina is sonic storyteller par excellence. His legendary Lil Ricky’s Rib Shack party shook APT’s dancefloor to its core for nine years in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. Via Jump-N-Funk, North America’s original Fela Kuti tribute, Rich provided a blueprint for the world’s newfound interest in Afrobeat, which stands without peer to this day.  His HOME residencies in NYC, Philadelphia and Los Angeles pay tribute to Larry Levan and the foundations of classic New York club life. In 2021, Rich was selected as the primary artist-in-residence and Music Director of Miami’s first Japanese-inspired listening room, Dante’s HiFi+.

As a highly respected spoken word artist, Rich has performed on stages around the world, and his sonorous voice has been utilized by Fisker, EA Sports, Nike and Pioneer. As an educator, Medina has lectured at TEDxPhilly and at his alma mater Cornell University, amongst numerous others. As a music producer, he’s collaborated with a range of artists, including Jill Scott, J Dilla, Bobbito Garcia and Phil Asher. 

Rich Medina is the modern-day renaissance man—an artist and visionary whose journey continues, expands and inspires.