“I don’t sound like anybody; I sound like HoodStar Chantz”

Hailing out of Fifth Ward area in Houston,Tx HoodStar Chantz is an artist determined not only to be the next best thing out of Texas but in music period. With a real passion for rhyming since spitting his first hot sixteen during an elementary school pep rally, Chantz’s versatility as an MC has led him to open for today’s most popular artists including Bun B of UGK and Travis Porter.

As much as the story behind Brendan Benson’s fifth solo album is the story of making a record, it is also a story of finding a family — of love, marriage, the birth of a son, and of another kind of family too: one made up of all of the musicians, music-lovers and friends, who have helped to make these songs and build a label to carry them.

At just 17, Andy Mineo was living a dream; he had money, local fame and the respect of his peers. But while attending college in NYC, he finally faced the music—neither was the key to life.

Andy, formerly known as "C-Lite," grew up in a single parent home in Syracuse, New York. Without any positive male figures around, at a young age, he struggled with profanity, submission to authority and physical aggression. With his conduct becoming uncontrollable, Andy was removed from the public school system and placed in behavioral modification centers. But change was on the horizon.

Naia Kete, is a neo-soulful reggae pop artist whose music is a personal, emotional and political soul-trip. A mix of musical styles that is grounded, articulate and emotive. Her unique sound and compelling songs would fit right alongside a radio playlist of Adele's "Rolling in The Deep," Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" and John Legend's "Ordinary People."

In April of this year Rolling Stone called her an "earthy soulstress...her dynamic vocal sound and smile are magic"

Nobody Beats The Drum are in the front line of Dutch electronic dance music. The three-piece electro outfit consists of Sjam Sjamsoedin, Jori Collignon, and Rogier van der Zwaag sharing the stage. While Sjam and Jori produce all the music Rogier produces all the video projections. Together, the trio delivers a uniquely unforgettable live audio/visual experience that has brought them high praise from trendsetters such as Kanye West, Vice Magazine and more. NBTD

You should never take it too easy with this band. You should not fall for the temptation of lending more attention to Sizarr’s biographical buzz than to their now finished, phenomenal debut. Sure, when it all started with Sizarr in 2009, Fabian (voc), Philipp (synths, voc) and Marc (drums, percussion) were strikingly young for the maturity of the music that would soon be expected from them. And, of course, if you come up with this music in a small town on the countryside, it happens to be an unmistakable sideshow to local pop culture at the French-German border.

I started rapping “professionally” about 7 years ago, that included booking my own tours, sleeping on the floors of people I didn’t know, bathing in public restrooms, and accidentally kicking off a feminist revolution in Romania. I was taught how to rap by way of Project Blowed in South Central Los Angeles, it had a very “8 mile” vibe and when I got booed off stage I would come back next week a better rapper. They taught me how to paint my nails, rap with stage presence, and fight for the right to party.

Familiarizing oneself to The Kickback may seem like an exercise in confronting consistent sets of seemingly opposing ideas: A band that prides itself on its love of Muppet Christmas specials and youthful naiveté but has no problem admitting to a paralyzing fear of death and decline. The group seems to strive for brutal honesty, all-the-while realizing they’re a pop band playing pop music. Even the membership of the group itself may seem odd: one-half brothers from South Dakota, one-half Chicago transplants from Washington D.C. and Mexico.

Members: Landon Jacobs Jason Suwito Hayden Coplen

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Newest member of Taylor Gang.