Riot in Paris are a hip-hop rock duo from Brooklyn, NY. The duo is now preparing to release their first album in 2011 and has already created a lot of hype for their creative and innovative concept.

Mercy and Pete Hype were initially solo acts performing in the New York City area when Grammy-winning producer Devo Springsteen first discovered the two. With an on-stage chemistry evident to the producer, the two began to work together in the studio in early 2008 as The Freshmen.

Performing throughout New York City as The Freshmen, the two changed the group name to Riot !n Paris shortly after signing with Champion Sound. Their name is derived from Igor Stravinsky’s music to the ballet The Rite of Spring. The work’s innovative music and violent departure from classical ballet would cause unrest in the audience and degenerate into riot with Paris police arriving at intermission to restore the order. With a sound breaking traditional classifications of genre, the band would take on the name Riot !n Paris in their goal to reshape the music industry.

Their song “Hair Down” was recently a runner-up in a new artist radio contest on 103.7 WXSS FM Milwaukee. Riot !n Paris recently played the Afro-Punk Festival in Brooklyn, NY alongside Elevator Fight, Janelle Monae and Saul Williams. They are also performing at hype New York clubs as The Annex, Arlene’s Grocery, Crash Mansion, Don Hill’s, Public Assembly, Pyramid, Southpaw, Sullivan Hal and, Trash Bar in Brooklyn, NY.

The European crowd loves the crazy duo. Riot !n Paris have performed in Europe several times and, as you can tell by their name, the group have a special love for Paris and France.