COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — THE SARGE — hip-hop and pop-punk-rock artist, producer, sound designer, and CEO of The Sarge LLC — has built one of Colorado Springs' most active independent music brands from the ground up: a Billboard Hip Hop and HipHopSince1987.com featured/published artist, a promoter with 10+ years running shows and residencies, a college-educated audio professional, and now a full-time music major giving back to the next generation of artists in his own city.

His monthly multi-genre residency, BUST OUT THE BOX at Wagon Wheel Sports Bar & Concert Hall in Colorado Springs, is currently in its second year and approaching its thirteenth edition. His current charity showcase, BUST OUT THE BOX #13: UCCS MUSIC NIGHT on Saturday, November 21, 2026, is raising $25,000 for the UCCS Music Department — a campaign recently covered by UCCS News.

THE CLIMB: SERVICE, SETBACKS, AND A DECISION TO BUILD
Before the stage name, there was the rank. Michael K. Ung served as a U.S. Army Infantry non-commissioned officer, with deployments to Iraq (2005–06) and Afghanistan (2009–10), before a disability retirement closed that chapter in 2013. The discipline, the work ethic, and the name — Sarge — stayed with him.

Music became the mission. Settled in Colorado Springs, Ung began promoting shows in 2016, building a name in the local underground scene through MHX Entertainment, the company he ran from 2016 to 2021. Those years laid the foundation: local artists given a stage, a reputation for multi-genre bills that put hip-hop, rock, metal, EDM, and indie acts on the same night, and a simple belief that local artists rise faster when somebody builds them a room.

In 2021, he made a decision that defines the brand today: he let MHX go and went back to school. He earned his BS in Audio Production from Full Sail University, turning years of hands-on experience into formal training in production, engineering, and sound design.

THE ARTIST: THE SARGE ON RECORD
As a recording artist, THE SARGE blends hip-hop and pop-punk-rock energy into a sound all his own — high-energy, honest, and built for the stage. His catalog includes fan-favorite tracks "I'm Not Alright," "Skiddley Wap," and "Love For The Underground," along with collaborations such as "Dreams" (feat. Austin Toker) and "Radio Renegades." His work has been featured and published by Billboard Hip Hop and HipHopSince1987.com, and he has shared stages across Colorado, including opening for Stella Standingbear in Denver.

In fall 2026, he expanded his distribution with a wave of singles released through RouteNote under The Sarge LLC, alongside his Bandcamp catalog — including The Sarge: Wave One, the Thank You EP, and his holiday collection.

THE PROMOTER: BUST OUT THE BOX
Promoting never stopped — it leveled up. Through The Sarge LLC, and co-run with Richard Huempfner of AntiFamouz Ent., BUST OUT THE BOX has run as a monthly multi-genre music residency at Wagon Wheel Sports Bar & Concert Hall in Colorado Springs for the past year, part of more than a decade of shows and residencies Ung has produced across the city.

The residency's next two editions show the brand's range: BUST OUT THE BOX #12: THE DEVILS NIGHT — Friday, October 30, 2026, a Halloween costume-party showcase headlined by horrorcore act Assassinate, alongside DROC, CU$H, XO RECKLE$$, and Hazadis. And BUST OUT THE BOX #13: UCCS MUSIC NIGHT — Saturday, November 21, 2026, a charity showcase featuring Brometheus, D1TCHNYMPH, Ambi, Aspen Sound, Juaniee, and THE SARGE, with 100% of proceeds benefiting the UCCS Music Department and a holiday toy drive for District 11 schools. The Robin Hood Initiative is a sponsor of the night. Tickets and donations: https://poplme.co/hash/fAAZ8IVA/1/s

THE STUDENT: BACK IN THE CLASSROOM, ON PURPOSE
Today, Ung is a freshman music major at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) — a member of the UCCS Choir, the Pitch Peak a cappella group, and an officer in MUSA, the UCCS Music Student Administration, with additional work in theater and UCCS Radio. He is, quite literally, a student of the same department his November 21 showcase is raising $25,000 to support — a full-circle moment covered by UCCS News in October 2026. He is also a proud father of four daughters — all four in college, including his oldest at UCCS alongside him.

BEYOND THE MUSIC
The Sarge LLC brand now reaches well past the stage: THE SARGE comic series on GlobalComix (free) and itch.io, with Issue #4, "The Sample Snatcher," arriving October 25, 2026; THE ADVENTURES OF BUBBY & GRANDPA, a children's moral-story video series; THE SARGE: ROGUE SIGNAL, an educational music-industry role-playing game; Stage Ready, his developing music-business education venture; booking management for Koko Ray & The Soul Providers; and THE SARGE'S REPORT, his blog and newsletter hub for artist spotlights, press releases, and show coverage across the Colorado Springs scene.

"STAY DIFFERENT"
Through every chapter — soldier, promoter, student, father, artist — one creed has stayed on the banner: "Stay Different." It's the advice THE SARGE gives every young artist who crosses his stage: expand beyond your circle, learn the business, build your own doors — and never wait for permission to climb.

About The Sarge LLC: The Sarge LLC is an independent music company based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, founded by U.S. Army Infantry veteran Michael K. Ung, professionally known as THE SARGE. The company produces the BUST OUT THE BOX monthly music residency, releases original hip-hop and pop-punk-rock music, publishes the THE SARGE comic series, and develops artist-education projects. Website: www.thesarge.net · Contact: [email protected] · (719) 229-5212

Contact: Michael K. Ung, CEO, The Sarge LLC, Colorado Springs, Colorado · [email protected] · (719) 229-5212 · www.thesarge.net
Full release: https://thesargellc.blogspot.com/2026/10/the-sarge-colorado-springs-hip-hop-and.html