Henry Lee Owens, better known as Riddlore, is a pioneering lyricist, experimental producer, and cornerstone of Los Angeles’ underground hip-hop movement. With roots stretching back to the 1990s, his career has been defined by innovation, authenticity, and global vision—earning him a place among the architects of West Coast indie rap.
As a founding member of the legendary C.V.E. (Chillin Villain Empire) and a core figure in the iconic open-mic workshop Project Blowed, Riddlore helped shape the improvisational and avant-garde ethos of L.A. hip-hop. Performing under aliases like Rhymin Riddler, he debuted on the historic Project Blowed compilation in 1995, carving a lane for experimental lyricism and underground resistance that continues to inspire.
A trusted collaborator and sonic alchemist, Riddlore has contributed to landmark projects with artists like Aceyalone, Busdriver, and countless other innovators across the globe. His style merges cryptic poetry with raw soundscapes, never shying away from confronting systems, questioning power, and speaking truth to noise.
In 2017, Afromutations, a beat tape recorded in Kampala, Uganda and released via Nyege Nyege Tapes—further expanded his reach. Infused with African field recordings and bass-heavy minimalism, the project reflected his ability to translate culture and resistance into sound.
Now entering a new creative chapter, Riddlore teams up with Inland Empire producer Fatmat 2.0 for Black Codes & Dead Gods, a searing new EP dropping late summer to early fall. This isn’t just a project — it’s a firebomb of truth, built to scorch the myths propping up modern power. Steeped in rebellion, ancestral memory, and spiritual defiance, the album is engineered to disrupt, not entertain.
With tracks like “The Devil” and “The System,” the record fuses apocalyptic lyricism with militant production, confronting surveillance, systemic decay, and algorithmic oppression with surgical precision. This is protest music for the new dark age, poetic, paranoid, and primed for impact.
Black Codes & Dead Gods isn’t music for the mainstream, it’s a militant broadcast for those still spiritually awake, still politically armed.
Still uncompromising. Still ahead of the curve. Riddlore remains one of underground hip-hop’s most essential and untamed voices.
“It ain’t for algorithms. It’s for the ones who know the algorithm is the enemy.”
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Legendary LA based underground MC and beat maker The Riddlore from CVE/ Project Blowed re-works African field recordings to bring a new Afro inspired bass sound. Recorded at the Boutiq Studios in Kampala Uganda between August and November 2015.
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