Ryan Berry is a student at IAR in his second quarter. He is also an accomplished musician and entertainer under the name Presence. He has competed in over 25 major hip-hop battles across the country including ScribbleJam 2005 (Preliminary Champion) in Cincinnati, OH, Brainstorm 2004 (Co-Champion) and 2002 (Champion) in Seattle, WA, Chicago All City 2002 (Champion) and 2003 (Co-Champion), MTV’s “The Cypher” Pilot filmed in NYC, 2004 Breeze Battle Finalist in NYC, and 2004 Mic Control Finalist in NYC. He also started his own label, Praxis Records, and released two albums, Recreation Bait in 2004 and R.Y.E. (Ready Your Ears) in 2006. Ryan developed his latest album R.Y.E., “To offer people my interpretation of this art form (hip-hop), and hopefully accomplish that through crafty lyrics, inventive production, and a general warmth that lets who I am shine through the songs.” He decided to attend IAR for a number of reasons: “I was sick of paying other people to do what I should just take the time to learn myself! That way, I put myself in the position to make a living in the field of music as well as pursue my dreams of being a recording artist. I’m trying to gain all the knowledge I can as far as music is concerned so that the next album can hopefully draw a buzz and get some distribution.” For more information on Presence, his music and battle clips, and for booking, visit myspace.com/nyryeb.