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Join us at The Zen Arcade Stage at The Hook and Ladder’s Mission Room on April 26th for the namesake concert, ‘The Mission’ Presented by Assorted Sneaker Geek. Twin Cities artist TWAIN top-lines a night full of indie genre variety, spanning Hip-Hop and R&B/Soul. With support from MN artists Chozen, Don Wonne, FreeGod Sa’Vii, and Thee Alanna Lynn. Music by DJ Cam Jones and hosted by Ni’Cold. Sponsored in part by CONSISTENT COSMETICS™️ 

 

Born in Chicago, IL and raised in Joliet, IL. TWAIN has etched out a unique lane in hip-hop & the true indie music space throughout his time as a recording artist & performer, all after once dreaming of being in music as an adolescent. Relocating to MN a year after finally becoming a bonafide musician, he hit the ground running in and outside of Minneapolis and Saint Paul releasing underground albums and mixtapes in the 2000s, also doing these releases online during that time as an digital early adopter-before the advent of iTunes and the streaming era (and social media). This made for a near seamless transition into officially releasing music commercially, his first of that type of offering being his classic 2009 album Truth or Consequences. A gripping, personal tome with a more musical soundbed, that album became his magnum opus. In more recent years he’s released a couple of love letter projects to his region, the ambitious CENTRAL STANDARD TIME album in early 2020, which includes the powerful single “Changes” (feat. Jay Jeminii), which was considered for the Recording Academy’s first ever GRAMMY®️BEST SONG FOR SOCIAL CHANGE songwriters honor. And the critically and culturally acclaimed Midwest Mayor special music project in late 2021, which was produced entirely by his Southwest PA music partner LUKE-O.  A memorable live performer, some venues and performances the 2x Hollywood Independent Music Award and Twin Cities Hip-Hop Award Nominee has had the pleasure of performing at are Penn State University, Peavey Plaza, the Fine Line Music Café, the Big Turn and FOR THE LOVE music festivals, and the Midwest Basketball League’s Halftime Show. Visually ushering in this recent era of his career, he’s compiled his self-described “modern music video collection” of four celebrated Vevo certified videos from the CENTRAL STANDARD TIME and Midwest Mayor projects on Vevo/YouTube, which total over 13.5K views to date. Some of the popular songs in his catalog include the smashes “Polo Suit” and “Joliet” (feat. Cariah Brinaé, the aforementioned “Changes” (feat. Jay Jeminii), the hard-hitting “Perspective”, and “Nu & U” (feat. Jay Jeminii). As a music executive he’s successfully mentored and produced a few acts. He’s also launched a number of live music properties, such as the concert series “A Night Over South” in South Minneapolis, which collects food donations for host venue Fallout Urban Art Center’s food shelf, and R&B concert series “TWIN CITIES MUSIC LOUNGE”, plus many more. He formed ILL COUNTY Management in 2018, and has proudly represented & managed women exclusively thus far, helping empower & support their dreams, and building their music businesses with them. He’s received press in online outlets and music blogs such as Star Tribune’s CityPages, The Current, UNDERGROUNDHIPHOPBLOG DOT COM, Music In Minnesota, and CanvasRebel Magazine, to name a few. He was selected a Homegrown Featured Artist by Minneapolis’ B96 96.3 FM. And his music has been recognized and received airplay from and on Brandon “B.Dot” Miller from Rap Radar Podcast, SiriusXM’s SHADE45, Dash Radio, Go 95.3 FM, The Current 89.3, and has surpassed over 10K purely organic streams on Audiomack, selected by their music editors to trend twice on the music platform. 

 

Chozen is a dynamic hip-hop artist from the south side of Minneapolis. Inspired by his past life experiences, current situations, and his dream and goals, his music juggles having fun with being motivational, all with a sound he calls “sophisticated trap”. He lets the music get him into a specific mode when isolating himself for a few minutes, this allows his creative process to flow and make his art. His belief is there’s no wrong way to tell his story and display his emotions. With his hope being that he can engage listeners with his relatability while being himself, and create stunning visuals making his visions come to life. 

 

In his years as a musician, dynamic artist Don Wonne has made an impact on the game. Originally hailing from Detroit, he’s now based in Twin Cities, MN, bringing a balanced mix of hip-hop music depicting street life, yet including upbeat records that feel good and are fun, showing his full talent & versatility. Inspired by his family, he brings a star-quality and unmistakable presence to his artistry. He’s also a masterful drummer, with a music background in the church and playing live, so his full knowledge of musicianship is included in his work. In addition being a solo artist with the catalog he’s building, he spends time in a remarkable hip-hop duo with his sister Jay Da K1DD, with all of the music and visual content having its high points and indie success. 

 

“FreeGod Sa’Vii descended from the Heavens to once again deliver great music unto the world. Rejoice for ye are welcome.” FreeGod Sa’Vii was born in Monroe, Louisiana and moved to St.Paul, Minnesota in 2004 where he began dabbling with rapping. His southern drawl, combined with his city influence, gave him a hybrid sound. He quickly discovered he had many music quirks and would go on to record his first ever song in hugely successful music producer Jeremy “TryBishop” Hicks’ studio. After having his daughter in 2011, Sa’Vii vowed to take his music career serious and wouldn’t stop until he was on! He created a label called Carbonado Cartel with his colleague DJ Still Phre$h, and they opened up their own recording studio, Carbonado Studios. Now fresh out the feds he’s currently curating a new sound as he submerges himself in the studio, collaborating with new producers, complete with engineering the project himself. Stay tuned! 

 

St. Paul, MN’s Thee Alanna Lynn is a versatile emerging Neo-Soul singer/songwriter on the music scene. She always was a singer and writer growing up, but didn’t think to fuse the two until much later in her life, the year 2014 to be exact. Once she finally heard her vocals on a track, she decided to keep going with her music. Exposed to different styles, ranging from Cumbia to Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul to Jazz, and all way the way back to Pop and Light Rock, she recalls watching artist interviews being in awe at their self-expression. The irony is not lost on her as she’s naturally evolved to become a creator herself, always knowing that it would eventually happen for her too. 

 

Kenisha Ni’Cold a passionate Black entrepreneur and the founder of Consistent Cosmetics™️. With a mission to empower individuals through beauty, she has created a brand that celebrates diversity and self-expression by offering high-quality cosmetics designed for all skin tones. Inspired by her own journey, Kenisha NiCold believes that beauty should be inclusive and accessible to all. Beyond her entrepreneurial success, Kenisha Ni’Cold is deeply committed to mental health awareness and support. She is currently working towards launching a nonprofit organization focused on providing mental health services and entrepreneurship resources for underrepresented communities. Her goal is to create a safe space for individuals to explore their mental health needs while fostering entrepreneurial skills that empower them to achieve their dreams. Through her journey, Kenisha Ni’Cold aims to inspire others by sharing her story and advocating for the importance of mental health in the entrepreneurial space. She believes that when individuals are supported both mentally and professionally, they can truly thrive. Join her on her mission to make a lasting impact in the beauty industry and beyond. 

 

DJ Cam Jones is a open format and tour DJ, producer, music executive, and creative from Minneapolis. Boasting a social media following of over 14,000 strong, he’s toured with national artists such as Aaron Carter, Dizzy Wright, Demmerick, Quijimac, and Komiyada. As a concert producer, he’s thrown over a whopping 2,000 shows since 2019 alone, and his music tracks have reached over 4 million streams on SoundCloud, and 2 million on Audiomack.