If you want to get a sense of how deeply respected Kalan is among his peers, just look at the shortlist of his collaborators, a who’s who of modern West Coast hip-hop and R&B: Ohgeesy, Blxst, G Perico, Mozzy, Dom Kennedy, BlueBucks Clan, 1TakeJay, and Westside Boogie. As Pitchfork once said: “when you’re talking about L.A.’s new wave of shit-talking, designer- obsessed rappers, Kalan.FrFr should be included....”

On the Los Angeles asphalt, he’s a mythological figure who has somehow avoided corny myth-making. We can list his hits starting from when “Right Wit It” became a mandatory drop at every house party from San Diego to Seattle or mention the “Hot N’ Ready Freestyle,” where Kalan proved that he could spit as hard as any rapper in your Top 5. We can talk about his scene-stealing performance on Destiny Rogers’ “West Like,” where Kalan comes off like a young Roger Troutman. We can cite his melodic reveries on the Puma Mixtape. But when new album drops, the overarching vision will become crystal clear. The story of how he got here isn’t as important as where he’s going.

Hailing from Dripping Springs, TX lead vocalist Mark Wystrach fronts Midland’s rich sound that is rounded out with lead guitarist/vocalist Jess Carson and bass player/vocalist Cameron Duddy. Rooted in tradition in both sound and style, the trio initially garnered attention playing clubs in the region. Their critically-acclaimed sophomore album LET IT ROLL (Big Machine Records) earned the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Top Country Album Sales chart upon release, receiving praise from outlets such as Rolling Stone, Variety, NPR and Entertainment Weekly among others. Wystrach, Carson and Duddy all played an integral role in writing the 14-track album with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne which features Country Radio’s Top 40 and climbing single “Cheatin’ Songs.” The album was produced by Dann Huff, McAnally and Osborne and was a follow-up to the critically acclaimed debut album, ON THE ROCKS (Big Machine Records). Launching in 2017 with rave reviews, ON THE ROCKS was declared “the year’s best Country album” by Washington Post. Their 2x Platinum-certified chart-topping debut “Drinkin’ Problem,” which offers an intentional nod to Country music reminiscent of the 1970s and 80s, earned the band their first GRAMMY® Awards nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Midland was also named New Vocal Group of the Year at the 2018 ACM Awards and is nominated for Group of the Year at the 2020 ACM Awards.

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