Artist profile ·
SOTO THE ACTIVIST TREATS AUSTIN RAP AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AS ONE PRACTICE
Johnny Soto II’s work grows from grassroots rooms, local radio and the 13th Floor culture around Underground Voices.
Soto The Activist’s catalog and his community work share the same rooms.
The Austin MC, born Johnny Soto II, became a fixture at Underground Voices open mics at the 13th Floor. The Austin Chronicle’s 2026 write-up on “Cody Rhodes” caught the relationship directly: the song shouts out the venue’s 78701 area code while Soto carries its energy into a standalone set.
The room is part of the record
Projects including NO CIVILIANS and songs such as “CHEAP GAS,” “MILITANT” and “Cody Rhodes” place political language beside personal stakes and grounded city detail.
KUTX’s The Breaks brought him on ahead of its 2026 Summer Jam showcase, another example of how local radio, live programming and independent releases keep reinforcing each other. For Soto, organizing an audience and writing for one belong to the same practice.