Few things are more frightening than wanting to escape your own mind. How do you get out? In the following letter, Crywolf, otherwise known as Justin Taylor Phillips, opens up about his battles with depression, its connection to creativity, and the cross country motorcycle trip that changed his life:

Rebel Music Collective (RMC) is an entertainment label that was created by Kane Tabiri in 2011. The idea for the Collective came as Kane realized the arsenal of talent that he was surrounded by, namely in his sister, Ama, and his close friend, Charles Tyler. By 2015, Ama joined Kane and Charles Tyler to form the hip-hop/R&B group now known as Lo Village. The group is based out of their hometown, Gaithersburg, MD, a well-known breeding ground of hip hop and R&B legends ranging from Logic to Wale. Taking a new approach to modern day hip hop, Lo Village blends neo-soul, old school R&B, go-go, and traditional rap into a striking sound that instills both nostalgia and irresistible head-nodding in every listener.

In fifteen years as a professional musician, Scott Flynn has played trombone in powerful groups like Pretty Lights and Odesza. After a phone call from a friend, Scott entered the world of Pretty Lights and began to explore the depth of electronic music. 808’s, synths, and sound design opened him up to another realm beyond organic instrumentation. In this Open Letter, Scott dives into his developing relationship with electronic music, the importance of both instrumentalists and electronic musicians, and the sweet spot of the Venn Diagram where both worlds collide.

Kyan Palmer has straddled both sides of the music industry. A few years ago, Kyan trekked from Arizona to NYC to take a job at a major record label. This experience opened his eyes to a side of the business he had never before witnessed. At the same time, Kyan’s hit single ‘Burn Mona Lisa’ was rising up the charts. On a journey of self discovery, Kyan wrote this letter detailing his decision to leave the label to pursue making music full-time.