Richie Panelli

Third-generation Reno native Richie Panelli, who performed for years under the stage name Apprentice, is a multifaceted hip-hop artist and Doctor of Audiology. Co-founder of Dorm Room Muzik alongside Pharoah Davis (Rameses), Panelli has been a driving force in Reno’s hip-hop scene since the late 1990s. His extensive discography includes acclaimed albums “Misery Loves an Audience” (2005), “The Red Balloon” (2009), “Rap Paper Scissors,” and “The Calm.” The Reno News and Review called “The Red Balloon” arguably the best hip-hop album to come out of Reno, and he’s earned multiple Reno Hip Hop Awards throughout his career.

In 2009, Panelli wrote and co-produced “6:01 A.M: A Working Class Opera,” a groundbreaking hip-hopera performed with the Nevada Opera Orchestra that sold out Reno’s Pioneer Theatre to 1,300 people. Recently securing a publishing deal, Panelli has five new albums ready for release under his real name. His conscious hip-hop resonates across generations, performing everywhere from churches to nightclubs, and his cross-cultural appeal remains his greatest strength as both an artist and community advocate.