Bringing the sound on real music back… Presenting to some and introducing to the world SHOCKING TRUTH!!! S.T. is a Chicago-based band of musicians formed in 2007 by a group of guys with great talent and a deep love for music. Each member of the band has had their own individual success recording for and touring with a wide variety of artists such as: Mary J. Blige, Nicki Minaj, Fred Hammond, Keri Hilson, J Moss, The Dream, and Smokie Norful… just to name a few. Shocking Truth has 13 members each with their own style but when brought together gives off simple greatness! They have a variety musical influences ranging from the Beatles to Earth, Wind, and Fire to Mint Condition. From these influences and a background of gospel music that the entire band shares, they have created a unique brand of inspirational music. This group takes music and gives it a universal a sound that fans of real music will love for generations! With groundbreaking production and world class musicianship they are changing the face of urban/inspirational music in one of the nation’s largest markets. This brand of music speaks to all areas of life. It inspires and challenges those who listen to be better human beings. The band’s first single, “Fact of the Matter”, is currently on the radio and the band’s self titled album will be released the summer of 2010

Bosco has been hard at work prepping a new EP, which is entitled Let Go of Me, for release on 3/6/2012. This labor of love is a mixture of plush, warm synths, glimmering guitar, and tribal rhythms, all carried by the wonderful vocal stylings of Brittany Bosco. Brittany has been delving into many different genres of art since her 2-year hiatus from music. Her emotional and artistic exploration led her to a few Atlanta musicians who seemingly had very different musical influences: Ira G. (a dj/hip-hop/r&b producer who produced two tracks on Bosco’s Pacer EP), Shane Orange, Jonathan Merenivitch, and Carlton Knight (three members of Atlanta post punk/soul quartet Tendaberry). After playing a few fantastic shows together, Brittany asked the four other gents to join her on a new musical venture. Bosco was formed. Building on her unique genre-bending trademark, Bosco melds together trip-hop, experimental soul, indie pop, and post punk into a delectable treat for any listener. Bosco’s first single “Joker” is a prime example of their ability to trigger emotion, building intensity to its apex, then surprising the listener with an unexpected, yet totally fulfilling release. The band is preparing to set out on the road to introduce their brand of expression to the masses.

The Gtw (Greater Than Wealth) is a kid with a fiery passion for hip hop, afro breaks and alluring synths. He was born in Chicago to two Nigerian Immigrants. He quickly got immersed in the culture of his native ibibio tribe. The sound of up tempo nigerian music flooded his household on a daily basis. “I guess all those years of listening to my parent’s favorite jams influenced the type of  music to do,” says the Chicago born musician.

This 20 year old producer/writer has worked with many in the indie music scene.  His music fuses house with hip-hop and other worldly elements which helps propels his music to an innovative standard. His buzz is steadily rising and he is getting looks as the next rap artist to push the envelope of creative music not only in Chicago, but everywhere in the world. His ability to perform with incredibly high energy is one of the reasons why he is gathering loads of people on his supporter bandwagon.

He created his first solo project “Dont Smoke The Cigarette” as celebration music for the world cup. The Gtw’s debut release has  gotten allot of good reviews from notable magazines and websites such as MTV Iggy and Art Nouveu. Sgt Tibs from Chicago Now says, “Don’t Smoke The Cigarette is one of the more impressive mixtapes I’ve heard.” URB MAG calls the mixtape, “A project with an eclectic mix of beats and rhymes.” The project features collaborative efforts from such artists and producers as Sunny Norway, Zip Justin Warren and  Braxton Holmes. With singles such as “Running all my life” and “Blow Me Away,” he is definitley giving the listener a quality hearing.

Substance, sub’ stas; noun. Essence; that of which things consists; the most important part; material of a certain kind

DAT BIZNESS, the name speaks for itself. Raised on the South Eastside of Chicago in the Germano Millgate apartments he has expressed an undying passion for his “hood”. Music has always “boiled” in his blood; he started playing the saxophone at the age of 11. After conquering the the intuitive stages of instrumentation, he began blessing the microphone at the age of 13, and not long after that he polished rhymes, delivery, and razor sharp punchlines and became a monster lyrically at 21, and now you have Dat Bizness.

ILL GORDON, best known for his rough delivery and clever metaphors, he has taken pride in lyrical prowess and always expressed creativity over gimmicks. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, ILL was musically inclined since the age of 3 when he commenced to play the drums. Labeled as a late bloomer amongst his peers, ILL didn’t start to focus on rap until the age of 18. Out of the trenches, he became known for his fierce raps and keen punchlines.

In 2007, ILL GORDON and DAT BIZNESS rigorously worked on music together and couldn’t neglect the undeniable chemistry they shared. The more songs they completed together the more their chemistry became stronger and noticeable to anyone who heard their material. After so many features on each others projects the level on inevitability to make this an official hip hop duo was undeniable.

In 2008 they made the union official and became SUBSTANCE. They hit the ground running releasing their first mix tape “Raw Substance” Hosted by Dj Shaun T. During this time they developed buzz worthy notoriety through performances through out the Midwest at venues such as The Abbey (Chicago), B.B. Kings (Nashville,Tn), Adrianna’s (Chicago), African Festival of Arts(Chicago), Shadow Lounge (Pittsburgh, Pa) etc.They also received the award of best local hip hop group at the “Midwest Rappers Ball” at the Regal Theater. By 2010, they established a respectable following and then released the now critically acclaimed mixtape “Substance Muzik”. This mixtape received placements on influential blogsites such as Kevinnottingham.com, Chicagonow.com. They also completed three videos off of “Substance Muzik”, “All I Need” , “Cufflinks”, and “Fresh out the Oven” which all can be found on youtube.On July 23rd 2011, they released their “Substance Abuse” mixtape, which is the final installment of their “Substance Series” mixtapes. Its has received placements on influential sites such as Chicityhiphop.net, illisoulife.com, fakeshoredrive.com and Gowherehiphop.com. This mixtape has features and production from Add-2, Gemstones, Thaione Davis, All Purpose Beatz and Reg Vador. They have also completed their first three videos off of “Substance Abuse”, “Str8 Coasting”, “Bravo” and “Barz of Opera” which all can be found on youtube. During this time Substance continued to perform locally and regionally at venues such as “The Mayne Stage” (1st and only Hip Hop group to do so) (Chicago), “The Brass Rail” (Peoria, Illinois), “Cause Sound bar” (Minneapolis, MN), etc. Riding off the success of the “Substance Series” mixtapes, Substance developed a organic momentum that led into 2012. March 2012 Substance received a placement to perform at the Red Gorilla/SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, Invited to attend Rhymesayers “Soundset Festival”, and first performance at the ‘A3C Festival”! (Kevinnottigham Underground Express Stage) Substance also released their fourth mixtape “Contra Mixtape” on August 1st 2012. It has received over 3000 downloads within the first two months of release. They have also released two videos off of their “Contra Mixtape”, “Go In” directed by Tyfotos and “Streets Says So” feat Vic Spencer directed by Deka Derse. Coming into 2013, Substance plan on releasing their debut album “No Grey Area” produced by All Purpose Beatz as well as pursuing the first touring opportunity.

Substance is a breath of fresh air that promotes creativity and good lyrics but most importantly good music. “Upcoming Chicago duo Substance is creating an impressive buzz and making a name for themselves with their hardcore/gritty beats and candid bars. Known for their shrill delivery and striking live show, Substance is one of the latest artists hailing form the windy city that is taking it back to the basics, which will bring you just what their name says—–Substance!”