The following talent roster represents some of both USA’s and France’s most talented people in hip-hop industry. Though Picki People all have varied tastes in creation, music and business–the one thing which united all of us was hip-hop music. I emphasize “hip-hop”, not rap. This crew IS about getting paid—our dream is to make, sell and market music. However, in the reality of the game, we know that we are not big stars. And maybe that is where our work ethic comes to play. When going about putting together this rogue collection of beatmakers, musicians, journalists, graphic artists, music+stage production and marketing experts, T-Love looked mostly for humble folks, not spoiled by the huge marketing budgets of major labels and talent who already know the ins-outs of the music business. There are just a few in the crew who do not know “the biz”, but what compensates for this is their determination and ability to learn quickly.

T-Love

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Though relatively unknown as an artist, T-Love is already an indie hiphop legend as a marketing expert, journalist and business woman. At the same time, she is striving to be the most original MCs and singers of all time. She merged her love for jazz-style vocals and hip-hop and her future projects will boast the theme: “If hip-hop could sing.” No, not if hip-hop featured a singer—but if it, itself could sing. If it could, it would probably be, like the samples it thrives on, a bit rough around the edges. Given that many times, loops are pitched up or down, they are not always in the right key. Takes skills to sing to a track like this, but something T-Love has mastered, over the years. If hip-hop could sing, maybe it would be a style more rhythm-based like T-Love’s, than a melodic style of singing, say of Mariah Carey. T-Love has had the honor to both work and perform with some of the world’s greatest talents, including UK’s Beyond There and The Herbaliser/DJ Ollie Teeba, Detroit’s JayDilla, Dwele and Slum Village, LA’s Music Man Miles, DJ Rhettmatic (Beat Junkies/Visionaries), DJ Lethal (House of Pain/Limp Bizkit/Linkin Park), Freestyle Fellowship/Heavyweights, Fishbone, The Alchemist, E-Swift and Canada’s Frankenstein, and France’s Jazz Liberatorz and Hocus Pocus. The few sessions where she has featured other MCs were some of the most of explosive recordings of her career. Those features included Kool Keith (”Dr. Octagon”), Siah & Yeshua and Chali 2na. She also co-wrote the book It’s Not About a Salary (Brian “B+” Cross/Verso), has poetry featured in , and has been featured in the award-winning hip-hop documentaries This Is The Life (Ava DuVernay, EV Miles) and Nobody Knows My Name (Rachel Raimist).

Dusty

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Dusty hails from the French beatmaker trio called the Jazz Liberatorz. Joining up with the astute b-boy Mahdi, and one of France’s/Europe’s most legendary b-boys, DJ Damage. The “Jazz Libz” has, for years, been a vehicle for him to work with such USA hip-hop greats as Mos Def, Fat Lip and Tre Hardson (The Pharcyde), Stacy Eps, Declaime, Sadat X, Apani B fly, J-Live, Buckshot, Wildchild, T-Love—this just to name a few. The Jazz Libz and Dusty hail from a region just south of Paris (Bercy) called Meaux (pronounced “Moe”). “Meaux-Town”, as it is fondly referred to, is becoming one of the hottest regions, after Nantes (Hocus Pocus, 20syl, DJ Grim, etc.), for HOT music in France—hip-hop, Detroit electro/NYC Latin Quarters, nusoul. Many of these sounds are influenced by jazz. T-Love and Dusty first worked together, during a Jazz Libz session for a song on one of their first 12″ ’s called “Force Be With You,” but for a then pregnant T-Love, it was the track which was 100% freestyled (as in “ad-libbed”, “off-the-dome”) that became her favorite recorded freestyle ever. During T-Love’s maternity leave, he overwhelmed her with 15 really incredible beats, custom-made for her voice/style. He was the flavour behind the Fat Lip/T-Love track “Genius At Work.” T-Love and Dusty just “jive”–music-wise and family-wise.

Riddlore?

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Riddlore? is a member of Chillian Villian Empire and a pioneer of Los Angeles underground hip-hop, having been one of the first rappers to popularize the term “freestyling” as an improv artform, along with Rifleman and Freestyle Fellowship. He regularly hosted at the Good Life Cafe and has an integral part in the award-winning documentary This Is The Life (Ava DuVernay, EV Miles) which takes viewers back to the early 90s hip-hop scene in South Central, Los Angeles where MCs such as Kurupt (Dogg Pound) and Charli2na (Jurassic 5, Ozo Matli) honed their skills. In the mid-90s he initiated the Project Blowed along with Aceyalone and Abstract Rude. By the late-90s Riddlore? took interest in Busdriver, producing his first album, Memoirs of an Elephantman, all the while releasing independent music and touring the world with acts such as Prince Paul, Aceyalone, Michael Franti, etc. Riddlore? has also collaborated with members of Dilated Peoples, Living Legends, The Shapeshifters, Freestyle Fellowship and many other crews worldwide. To this day he tries to push the limits of what people conceive hip-hop music to be. Riddlore? and his music have been everywhere in our culture from American Pie movies to Yo! MTV Raps and he has managed to stay independent, never compromising artistic integrity.

Deejay Lyrik

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Not only does this kid hold down a 9-5 gig doing graphics/page layout, he is also one of the most prolific beatmakers and graphic designers/fine artists that T-Love has ever encountered. Add to this already busy schedule, the fact that he co-owns a French indie-indie label called Coffee Break Records, which is known for releasing 45’s. He not only does all of Coffee Break’s incredible artwork, he also does all the artwork for all of his own projects. Often times with the support of his wife, Regine, who is also an incredibly talented artist. A Cat Called Fritz is not just a Pickininny client, but also itz in-house graphic design and will be doing the artwork for all the Picki People compilations (Volumes 1-3), as well as the albums of T-Love and other Picki People’s artist roster. His music, along with his art, will also be featured on the compilations. He, T-Love and SLurg are currently putting together T-Love’s new book mag, Picki Ink, the first issue due out within the next year.

Katrah-Quey

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He has the pressure of being the youngest and newest addition to the Picki People troop. Katrah-Quey is also the very LAST addition to Picki People’s Talent Roster. It is now officially closed. His beats speak of a knowledge of equipment and production, far beyond his age. He is an amazingly prolific and progressive beatmaker with an uncanny sense of musicianship. Credited for this are his father (blues/jazz musician), who was a drummer for the late Isaac Hayes and dear friend to Aaron Neville, along with Katrah’s home-roots in New Orleans, Louisiana.  His tastes span from Jurassic 5, Jaydilla, to Bjork, LTJ Bukem and Portishead. He is working on a solo album, The Correspondent, which features super talented MCs like M.anifest (A.R.M.), Preach Jacobs, Kai Swivel and Niamaj. Both the new T-Love album and Pickininny’s compilation, Picki People Volume I, feature this b-boy’s explosive production.

Breiss

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When it comes down to passion for hip-hop, T-Love compares Breiss to an LA b-boy named DJ Rob-One (RIP). His passion for hip-hop inspires her and as he is also, by far, one of T-Love’s most frequent house-guests and one of her closest friends in France. He, like Dusty and Jazz Liberatorz, hails from “Meaux-Town” and is one of the most talented beatmakers T-Love has ever worked with. He laced her with more than 30 dope beats during her maternity leave and has produced a large portion of T-Love’s upcoming albums. Though he makes dozens of beats by the week, the only real releases which he has had before the Picki People compilation and T-Love’s projects, were Jazz Liberatorz remixes. He is one of the most incredible beatmakers in France. No exaggeration–this kid is HEAT!. And you may not know him now—but you soon will. He was the first to the join Pickininny’s talent roster, some years back and because he is a true b-boy driven by real hip-hop, he serves as T-Love’s personal quality control. There will be no beat that she will perform on before having let him heard it first. And that’s because he’s just THAT good. Breiss and T-Love coming together is as explosive as Queen Latifah/45 King or Quincy Jones/Dinah Washington.

Nelson Marquez

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Nelson Garcia Marquez appeared on three Grammy award-winning recording projects and has performed at such legendary places as the Hollywood Bowl (Playboy Jazz festival), supporting one of his musical mentors Israel Lopez “Cachao”. He has produced for Virgin recording artist Crystal Sierra and has licensed many of his own original compositions to numerous film and television projects. He has performed through out the world, appeared on many television broadcasts including “The Late Show”, and “Fiesta Broadway” for the Telemundo network. For many years, Nelson was bandleader of the Venice Beach-based latin/soul/funk band, “Mango Bang” and released their projects on his own label. For years, he also did acting on the side, and achieved credits in many films. However it was his appearance with his Godfather,Andy Garcia, in the film “The Lost City” which allows the hyphenate “musician/actor.” By day, he is still the owner of one of LA’s largest lunch delivery services.

Dexter Thibou [aka "Unkle Dex"]

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T-Love and Dexter met back in 1995/96, while she was the Head of Marketing at Correct Records (LA), and he, the in-house engineer at D&D Recording Studios (NYC). Dexter is not just a talented and veteran recording/mixing engineer, but also one of the most down-to-earth b-boys one could ever meet. And for that reason alone, was why T-Love desired to represent him as a client, as well as make him co-owner and production supervisor of Pickininny’s production company, Brawl Records. It is this entity which will, from now on, exclusively produce all of T-Love’s/Pickininny’s projects. BUT it did help that Unkle Dex also has one impeccable repetoire, having engineered a long list of hot albums, included in those are Jay-Z, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Rakim, Black Eye Peas, Xzibit,Mos Def, Common, Limp Bizkit, KRS-One, Bahamadia, Bootcamp Clicc, Gangstarr, Guru’s Jazzmatazz,Onyx, Brand Nubian and Black Moon.”Training Day” (with Denzel Washington) and “8-Mile High” (with Eminem) are just some of the original film soundtracks to his credit. It is with GREAT honor that we welcome Dexter Thibou to the Picki People family.

SLurg

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Some of France’s most notorious and sought-after mixtapes/CDs were made by SLurg. Not only is he a talented club DJ, he is also a skilled radio host. He started off doing radio when he was but 12 years old. From there he has had radio shows at Louvier’s now-defunct Radio Pomme, Paris’ Generation Radio, and now presently a show called Edutainment at Rouen’s HDR Radio. It doesn’t stop there: He is also a music journalist and specialist in marketing (promo+PR) and his blog “Press Rewind” features both he and T-Love’s old school mag collections. This amazingly busy bee b-boy not only helps Pickininny to co-manage its talent roster, he is also partner, along with Dexter Thibou, of Brawl Records, overseeing Pickininny’s/T-Love’s production in Europe. Though a b-boy of French/Algerian descent, he writes, reads and speaks fluently in English.