Ruby Ibarra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruby Ibarra
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Ibarra performing in Washington, D.C. in 2025
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ruby Anne Ibarra |
| Also known as | Ruby Ibarra |
| Born | February 25, 1988 Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines |
| Genres | Hip hop |
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| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Beatrock Music |
Ruby Anne Ibarra (born February 25, 1988) is a talented Filipino rapper. She performs her songs in three languages: Tagalog, Bisaya, and English. Her music often talks about her cultural background and what it was like moving to the United States from the Philippines. In 2023, Ruby Ibarra helped start a music company called Bolo Music Group. This company helps new Filipino American artists share their music.
Contents
Early Life and Inspiration
Ruby Ibarra was born in the Philippines. She lived in the city of Tacloban for about four years. When she was young, she saw a Filipino rapper named Francis Magalona perform on TV. This performance really inspired her.
Later, her family moved to San Lorenzo, California, in the Bay Area. Ruby went to the University of California, Davis. There, she performed with a group called SickSpits, which focused on spoken word poetry. Ruby says that growing up in the 1990s, listening to hip-hop artists like Tupac, Eminem, and Wu-Tang Clan, helped shape her musical identity.
Ruby Ibarra's Music Journey
Ruby Ibarra started her music career by releasing a collection of songs called a mixtape. This mixtape, titled Lost In Translation, came out on December 12, 2012. A famous DJ named DJ Kay Slay hosted it. The mixtape was first played on Eminem's radio channel, Shade45, on Sirius XM Radio. Ruby was even interviewed live by DJ Kay Slay that evening.
Signing with a Record Label
On November 5, 2015, Ruby Ibarra officially joined an independent record label called Beatrock Music. She announced that she would release her first full album with them in 2016. She began recording this album with a producer named Fatgums in Inglewood, California, in March 2016.
Circa 1991 Album Release
On October 3, 2017, Ruby released her album called Circa 1991. In this album, she sang about important social topics. These included issues like immigration and personal challenges. Many people felt that her songs truly reflected their own experiences in the United States.
Big Collaborations and Performances
In January 2018, Ruby Ibarra was featured in a national TV commercial for MasterCard. She appeared alongside singer SZA and other rising artists. This commercial was part of a campaign called "Start Something Priceless."
Ruby Ibarra also worked on several projects with The Filipino Channel in 2018. These included performances and features for different shows and festivals. Her 2018 documentary, "Nothing on US: Pinays Rising," was shown at film festivals in many places, including Guam, Toronto, and San Francisco.
Ruby Ibarra has performed at several important events. On June 29, 2019, she performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. She also performed at The Getty in February 2020. In August 2021, she performed at a special event in Los Angeles called "A Night of 'Pinoy'tainment!"
Awards and New Ventures
In 2023, Ruby Ibarra received a special award from the Vilcek Foundation. This award, called the Creative Promise award, came with a $50,000 prize. In the same year, she co-founded Bolo Music Group. This new record label focuses on supporting Filipino American artists.
Ruby Ibarra's music reaches many listeners through various platforms. Her content is distributed by Myx TV, a cable and online broadcast network. It is also available on DASH Radio, a global digital radio platform. She has a large following on YouTube, with over 45,400 subscribers and nearly 3 million total views.
In 2025, Ruby Ibarra was named the winner of the Tiny Desk Music contest. After winning, she went on a tour across the United States called the Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour.
Ruby Ibarra has partnered with and been featured by many well-known companies and media outlets. These include:
Her song "Us," which features other artists like Rocky Rivera, Klassy, and Faith Santilla, is included in the video game NBA 2K23.
Musical Style
Ruby Ibarra describes her music style as being similar to hip hop from the 1990s. She looks up to artists like Lupe Fiasco and Raekwon as her influences.
Personal Life
Ruby Ibarra is a graduate of UC Davis. She lives in Hayward, California. Before focusing full-time on music, she worked as a scientist. She was part of the quality-control team at a biotech company in the Bay Area. Ruby's mother had an accounting degree from the Philippines. She moved to the U.S. with Ruby and her sister to pursue her American Dream.
Ruby Ibarra also helped create the Pinay Rising scholarship program. This program supports mainly Filipina students in college. It helps those who are studying visual and performing arts or social work.
In 2024, Ruby Ibarra announced that she was expecting a baby. She shared this news with the release of her music video "Bakunawa."
Discography
Albums
- Circa91 (Beatrock Music, October 3, 2017)
EPs
- Lost in Translation mixtape (Independent, December 2012)
Videography
- 2018: Here
- 2018: Us
- 2019: Taking Names
See also
- Filipino hip hop
