Saxophonist Kenneth Whalum stays busy. He's served as musical director for the likes of Ludacris, Maroon 5, and Maxwell. He's frequently one of those flashy looking dudes in the horn section in the back of some major concert you see or on television and you think to yourself "this is good, but that horn section is killing it". Yeah, he's one of those guys,subtly getting in the airwaves and bringing people dopeness without them ever suspecting. As that relates to his own creations, this brings him numerous inspirations and compatriots to make his own music, and this also means a lot of time for cooking and simmering until things are just right. His 2010 album, To Those Who Believe, was an early taste of what Whalum has to offer and his upcoming Through Hell & High Water is promised to take things to the next level. He's been dropping tracks with Big K.R.I.T. and steadily grinding. It's what he does to stay busy. -Anthony Dean-Harris

Bio -Kenneth Whalum is a saxophonist, vocalist, and producer. He has also branched out to record a dreamy and aching style of contemporary R&B that deviates from the sounds heard on commercial radio. The son of Kenneth T. Whalum, who is the pastor of Memphis, Tennessee's Mount Olivet Baptist Church, Whalum is part of a deeply musical family that includes Kirk Whalum, Kevin Whalum, and Kyle Whalum, among other musicians. Whalum has appeared on several high-profile R&B and rap recordings, as well as live performances alongside the likes of Robert Glasper, D’Angelo, Maxwell, Jay-Z, and many others. He has also contributed to a stylistically broad range of albums by the likes of Christian Scott, John Legend, Kris Bowers, and Big K.R.I.T., the last of whom was featured on Whalum's newest single “Might Not Be Ok.”