The Culture

Kaytranada—the Haitian-born, Quebec-raised DJ and producer—started out messing with music on the family computer in his basement. Using production software, and posting his music online, Kaytra's use of technology helped him bring his unique sound into the real world. Years later the high school dropout's music can be heard on dance floors around the globe.

A lifelong fan of hip-hop, Randall 'Sickamore' Medford used to hustle mixtapes in New York City. Over the years, with tons of hard work, he built himself up into the man he is today. A senior music exec at Interscope Records, with platinum albums by Travis Scott and YG on his resume. But his path has been anything but easy. For Sickamore, the key to his success has been his allegiance to the art, learning from failures, and making self-improvements.

The first entry point of the culture is being a fan of the culture. Domonique Maldanado—founder of hip-hop showcase Leaders of the New Cool and former manager of Q-Tip who is currently an A&R Consultant, and co-manager of Divine Council—began her journey as someone who loved not only music but had a hunger for knowledge for how creativity was harnessed into art.

If you're talking about music videos, then you're talking about Colin Tilley. Growing up in the Bay Area, Colin Tilley went from college dropout to an award-winning music video director. Having helmed videos for everyone from Rihanna to Lil B to Lil Wayne to Kendrick Lamar, Colin's growth has been immense, allowing him to helm videos for a generation of musical artists. As he begins to break into feature films, Jinx connects with him to learn more about his journey and what has made him so successful.