xBk / D-Tour
Tobi Parks is an entertainment and intellectual property attorney, owner of xBk, a Des Moines-based music venue, Board Vice President for the National Independent Venue Foundation, the 501(c)(3) arm of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), and founding member of D Tour, a national collective of independent music promoters. She is currently a consultant attorney in the Business and Legal Affairs division of Sony Music Entertainment where she had previously served as the Director of Copyright for Sony's frontline labels for over a decade. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and a Master of Arts in Media Literacy from Webster University in St. Louis and a Juris Doctor from Drake University Law School. As a musician, she has toured nationally and has composed for stage, film, and television.
While Killer Mike has been an active solo artist for over 20 years, releasing numerous studio projects while also collaborating with some of the biggest names in hip-hop (including Outkast, Jay-Z, Big Boi, T.I., Black Thought, and more), he is also widely renowned as half of the popular hip-hop super duo, Run The Jewels, with whom he has released four studio albums alongside his partner in rhyme EL-P. Their most recent, 2020's RTJ4, soared to the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and was met with widespread critical acclaim, landing at #1 on NME's The Best 50 Albums of 2020 list. Named the 2020 Spin Magazine Artist of the Year, Run The Jewels have won eleven Libera Awards, including the 2021 A2IM Humanitarian Award, took home four Clio Awards, including two Gold-winning Music Marketing campaigns, and received a 2018 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song.
In addition to his success as a musician, Killer Mike has gained wide recognition beyond the industry. He has acted in several films, including Baby Driver, Idlewild, and ATL and showed up TV cameos on Ozark and Billions. He also provided voiceover for the 2021 Netflix film America: The Motion Picture and is the host of multiple series including the Emmy Award winning PBS show Love & Respect with Killer Mike, Facebook's Roll'N with Killer Mike, and Netflix's Trigger Warning with Killer Mike, while also turning in regular speaking appearances on Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Real Time with Bill Maher.