Music producer Shondrae Crawford, a.k.a. Bangladesh, is known for creating beats so original that they sometimes cause a problem—no one can rhyme to them. "I never thought of my sound as that unique," admits the 30-year-old music producer. "But people kept telling me it was like nothing they'd ever heard before. It's foreign to their ear; it's different. It's Bangladesh." Born in Des Moines, IA, Bangladesh has spent the last decade in Atlanta, where his keyboard-centric beats and rhythms steadily confuse and captivate artists and listeners alike. "Things were hard at first," he explains. "A lot of people liked the stuff I was doing but artists were having trouble writing ... Feature Story

Imagine you're a Hollywood hairstylist working on a movie with Colin Farrell, whose hair you've been shampooing, blow-drying, and keeping reasonably coiffed for weeks. When the time comes that Farrell needs a cut, would you go near the boozy bigmouth with a pair of scissors? No, you'd probably call in reinforcements. And that's how Los Angeles stylist Chase Kusero got his first celebrity client. "Stylists on movie sets aren't really used to cutting hair," says Kusero. "I guess this one called me because he didn't want to piss Colin off." Luckily, Farrell was happy with his trim, and word of Kusero's skills spread through Hollywood. Today, as a stylist at ... Feature Story

Ben Baller, the man behind Icee Fresh & Co., a high-end jewelry outfit that specializes in classy bling, may have been raised in the Koreatown section of south central Los Angeles, but he was born in hip-hop. “I’ve been around hip-hop since the late ’70s,” Baller explains. “I got to see it in every single aspect. I was a b-boy, and I was a label exec. I’ve deejayed everywhere, and I have over 20 platinum records.” Baller became a fixture in the music business, serving as an executive at Priority Records, launching Aftermath Entertainment with Dr. Dre, and lighting up the turntables for punk metal pundits Snot. In 2004, he ... Feature Story

The title of The Loved Ones' latest full-length, Build & Burn, has a special meaning for the band's frontman, Dave Hause. "I'm a partner in a small contracting company, and I try to maintain that while playing music," Hause explains while taking a break from a house-remodeling project near his home base of Philadelphia. "It's a lot of work, but it's also really rewarding; both aspects of my life have their challenges, but they also have their rewards." Amazon.com WidgetsHause knows a thing or two about paying his dues. He got his start as a roadie for New Jersey punk legends The Bouncing Souls and started The Loved Ones in ... Feature Story

Nichole East's business card reads "Kid Robot, Toy Baroness." That says enough. As one of the first employees at quirky-cool adult toy company Kid Robot, she remembers when the team was so tiny that they were excited just to have business cards. "There were only maybe six or seven of us total," she recalls. "We had so many tasks that when it came to having a title, there was too much stuff to put down. Baroness meant bitch and we were like, ‘Fuck yeah, baroness, that's perfect.'" Born and raised in Oregon, East enrolled in college in Jersey City because of its proximity to New York. She excelled in marketing ... Feature Story