DRTYWHTVNS was born in the shadows in 2014, emerging as a response to the “ominous creep”—a presence that’s there but not there, always watching. Behind it is Cam Rice, who’s long embraced the role of quiet observer. Life, for him, is seen from the edges, absorbing fleeting moments that often go unnoticed. His music captures this stillness, transforming it into sound. Rice's urge to create something bigger than himself led him to start Sisqopink, a collective formed with fellow artists Zola182 and Dos.Grandiose Under the alias Louie Frankklin, Rice built Sisqopink as a way to connect with like-minded creatives in Dayton, but the group quickly transformed. By 2016, it had evolved into BAD GENES, a collective built on the shared experience of feeling like the “bad genes” of their families. He wasn’t alone. @badgenes became a refuge for artists from similar backgrounds who sought to turn their outsider status into creative fuel. By 2021, BADGENES Studio opened, expanding Rice’s vision beyond music. For him, music is a form of therapy, pulling hidden emotions to the surface, giving space to the overlooked and the misunderstood. Through DRTYWHTVNS and BADGENES, Rice isn’t just creating art—he’s creating space. Space for the overlooked, the misunderstood, the ones watching from the sidelines. And in that space, there’s sound, texture, and the raw, unfiltered experience of feeling something real.