Business contact: Email: KhariMateen@KhariMateenMusic.com


Songwriter, producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. His first credits were with The Roots' Game Theory (2006), for which he co-produced the title track, "Livin' in a New World," and "Clock with No Hands." Khari has continued contributing to Roots (Rising Down and Undun), Jill Scott, J*Davey, and Money Making Jam Boys, among others. After scoring the Sundance series Brick City and HBO Documentary Prayer For A Perfect Season, he released his debut, Wait for Sunrise, through his label, The Lunchroom. Soul Train named it one of 2012's best releases. Mateen’s also a member of Elevator Fight.

Tess Henley has been making music quite literally her entire life, beginning Suzuki classical piano training at age three, by age five she was able to dissect harmonies that even her mother, a singer by trade, found difficult. Since then, she's won several national songwriting awards and honors, including Guitar Center's Artist Discovery program. She has opened for acts like Earth, Wind & Fire, Jill Scott, Lianne La Havas, Boy George and more. 

Her most recent album, Paramount, included collaborations with long-time creative ally Jesse Boykins III (Calvin Harris, Steve Lacy), Naz (SuperDuperKyle, Smino), Wynne Bennett (Janelle Monae, Goldlink, Haim), Yakob (6lack, Lauv, Giveon), and composer Ari Balouzian (Some Kind of Heaven, Feels Good Man, Gabriels) to create a sonic picture of perspective.

As a master of her craft, Tess takes full ownership of her journey with authenticity as her fuel and fire. The singer, songwriter, and producer speaks from the divine feminine in a way that enriches the listener. With her main instrument, piano, as her spirit guide, she provides solace in a time of need like a breath of fresh air.

In doing so, Henley's new release features entirely self-produced reimagined versions of her back catalogue. The first song, Love You More (At Home), is out now.

SINGER. SONGWRITER. HUSTLA. 
L.A. 
U.K.

mikirosemusic@gmail.com




https://linktr.ee/wearedelasoul

De La Soul is back—but did they ever really leave? After delivering their seminal debut 3 Feet High and Rising in 1989 with the production genius of Prince Paul, the New York City-bred trio of Posdnuos (Pos), Dave and Maseo went on to further impact Hip Hop culture with five more groundbreaking albums: De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) and AOI: Bionix (2001). But once the digital age exploded in the late ‘90s, De La Soul’s celebrated catalog was unavailable to stream. As the decades passed, the tight-knit group forged ahead anyway—touring the world, connecting with their adoring fanbase and making music on their own terms. Following 2004’s The Grind Date, De La Soul took a hiatus from making albums, but joined The Gorillaz on the track “Feel Good Inc” which won them a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration.  In 2015, the group raised over $600,000 on Kickstarter from fans to independently release their album and the Anonymous Nobody, which was their first #1 on the Rap Albums chart, and was also nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy.   

However, the demand for unreleased De La Soul music was palpable and the cry for access to the first six albums grew louder. Unfortunately, De La Soul was stuck riding a roller coaster of stalled negotiations, dashed hopes and dead-end conversations with their old label, and the group nearly gave up. 

"We have lived without the music up for long, these six albums haven’t been up—ever,” Pos says. “We got used to knowing they weren’t up.” In June of 2021, Tommy Boy Music was acquired by Reservoir, giving De La Soul’s catalog a new home.  In March of 2023, the six missing albums were finally available to stream.  But sadly, right before the catalog release, Dave, the beloved member of De La Soul, passed away. Though bittersweet, De La Soul preserves his legacy and the ongoing impact of their music. 

As iconic songs such as “The Magic Number”, found new life in the film Spiderman: No Way Home in 2021, De La Soul continues to resonate with a diverse population of people. 

As Pos notes, “We’ve noticed over the past several years of tour like, ‘Wow, there’s a father here with his child who also is here with their child. ‘We’re generational. To me, there’s nothing more gratifying than that. That means something. That’s telling about a group. What we were doing wasn’t just stuck to that time.”

“We really naturally been that group for everyone,” Pos says. “It was never about we’re just here for this community, that community, this set of people or these certain fans of Hip Hop culture. We see music as music. We’ve been very resilient, even being a group that didn’t have our music up [on streaming platforms]. We still had these beautiful opportunities through young people finding out about us through a commercial or Spider-Man. Now that it can all be there for people to gravitate to, I’m really happy about that.” 

De La Soul's impact on the musical landscape is immeasurable, with 3 Feet High and Rising widely regarded as one of the most influential albums of its era. Pioneering inventive sampling, playful lyrics, and eclectic beats, the album broke new ground and set a standard for creativity in the genre. Recognizing its cultural significance, the album was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.

Singer, Songwriter & Producer from Seattle, WA.  
ALBUM COMING SOON

Artist | Creative Director & Art Dealer at Creō | Co-Founder of All Black Creatives | Co-Owner of 2720  Art Studio and Music Venue

Music is L.I.F.E. is L.O.V.E. 
Writing is...
I write because I must. Whether it's content for a website, white papers for companies, personal correspondence or just Facebook blurbs...I write, because I must. 

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