Rasaan makes music about life. “I don’t want to be anyone else but me.” Music videos made an impression upon him at an early age and sparked a curiosity about how music is made. He also found an early talent for writing and performing in front of his classmates. He has begun to establish himself as a songwriter of note, with breezy rhymes and a vision that combines open emotion with socially conscious imagery. The music behind the words is equally smooth and compelling. Viewing music as an open lane of expression as well as therapy, helping him process and work through his emotions, Rasaan produces work that is both resonant and infectiously catchy. He talks about wanting to become a versatile writer and performer, creating good music without categorization. Having taken only a few steps in this direction, Rasaan has already gotten off to a very promising start.

Ronya has been singing all of her life. It’s always been something she could turn to. Growing up, she loved to sing with her mother, but it also helped her feel closer to her musical but largely absent father. Singing provided her with a vector for her emotions, and it proved to be cathartic. Currently, she sings with the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus, but she also writes her own material. Her songs are emotional, candid, very real, and very beautiful. Through music, she has found her voice, a way to express herself, and connection and fellowship with others. She talks about wanting to inspire others to bring out the inner spark that’s been hidden inside them, the inspiration and creativity that has been so helpful to her not only as an artist but also as a person. Ronya writes songs because she loves to sing, but also because she wants to lay her experiences and her feelings out for all to see. She wants to help others feel that they are not alone, because that’s part of what music does so well.

Christopher always has a beat in his head, and making music is all he wants to talk about. Having grown up with a wide exposure to hip hop, R&B, soul, and jazz, his approach to creating a piece of music is for it to be viewed as abstract art. He is an accomplished self-taught keyboardist, and the soundscapes he creates defy genre conventions and evoke graceful, geometric, kaleidoscopic imagery. One particular moment that set him onto his current musical path was waking up in the middle of the night to the music that played as interstitial pieces on Adult Swim, which was unlike anything he had heard. When he looked into how they created that music, he decided that if they could do it, then so could he. With acknowledgement to his other, varied influences—including but not limited to Flying Lotus, Kanye West, Jay Dilla, and Thundercat—it is obvious that CoolChris has begun to do something entirely new.

ForWord, also known as Shane Salter, is an accomplished lyricist and poet from Sacramento, having resided in the Bay Area for the last several years. He found his path through spoken word around 2005, cutting his teeth performing and competing in various rap battles in Northern California, and using his voice to highlight the struggles of the LGBTQ community. He’s particularly fond of having become the first openly gay rapper to win Tourettes Without Regrets in Oakland. Shane’s goal with music is to tell his story and to share his heart. “Art is such a special thing and there’s nothing that amounts to the feeling of having your heart be heard. It’s even more beautiful when you lay everything from your soul out and have others who can relate or translate your experiences into their own.” Seeing music as a reflection of himself, he is currently working on his debut release with Unicorn Breeding Ground and hopes to encourage progressive thinking through his music.