Innanet James

Surrounded by music from a young age, rapper/singer/songwriter Innanet James was inspired to take making music more seriously after hearing Lil Wayne's Da Drought 3 as a teenager. He began developing his hybrid sound that incorporated lively, upbeat instrumentation, gymnastic rap styles, and generally celebratory energy in 2015. By 2016 he had established himself nationally with breakthrough song "Summer" and his debut EP Quebec Place. He continued to hone his craft over the next few years, signing a record deal but taking his time on star-studded follow-up mixtape Keep It Clean, which saw release in late 2018.

Born and raised in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, Innanet James began rapping young, but didn't take it very seriously until after high school. He first went under the moniker Sails Martin, releasing his single "Black" online in July of 2015, and the bounding, anthemic single quickly went viral. Changing his name to Innanet James, he set to work on his first EP, originally titled Portraits for Free, but ultimately released as Quebec Place, named after a street in his district. Buzz for the new artist grew, especially surrounding his single "Summer," and positive press rolled in for the rapper's fresh talent. This buzz also scored him a slot performing live at 2017's Bonnaroo and that year he signed a deal with High Res Global/Rostrum Records. His next release came in the form of the much-labored mixtape Keep It Clean, released in the fall of 2018. The eight-song effort included guest spots from established artists such as Pusha T, Taliwhoaw, Rexx Life Raj, and others.