Van Hunt

R&B multi-instrumentalist Van Hunt came into the world in Dayton, Ohio, where his father’s pimp lifestyle formed the immediate environment of his upbringing. Classic soul and contemporary R&B records supplied the constant soundtrack, and Hunt absorbed their textures and atmospheres completely. Relocating from the Midwest to Atlanta during his early twenties gave him the space to refine his personal approach. Having already taken up guitar and begun composing in his teenage years, he was clearly headed toward a professional path in music. Capitol Records signed him in 2003, and his self-titled debut appeared in February 2004. Television and radio spots on Soul Train, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, and NPR accompanied the double single “Dust” and “Seconds of Pleasure,” which helped the album reach the Top 40 of Billboard’s R&B Albums chart. The vigorous follow-up On the Jungle Floor arrived in 2006, topped the Heatseekers chart, yet made little additional impact. Hunt next moved to Blue Note, where advance copies of his intended first release for the label, Popular, were sent out before the project was ultimately canceled. He then compiled Use in Case of Emergency from older recordings and offered the collection as a free download. Through his own Sony RED-distributed imprint Godless Hotspot, he released the assertive What Were You Hoping For? in 2011, his third full-length studio album to see official distribution. Crowdfunding support enabled the more restrained fourth album The Fun Rises, The Fun Sets, which Godless Hotspot issued in 2015.