Afroman

The rapper and musician is best known for his hit single 'Because I Got High' which was released in 2001. He showed signs of musical interests when he sold his first tape whilst in the eighth grade featuring a rap about a teacher who got Foreman removed from the school for sagging his pants.

In 1998, Afroman released his first full length album 'My Fro-losophy', he later relocated to Mississippi where he met drummer Jody Stallone, Bass player Darrell Havard and future producer Tim Ramenofsky. The latter produced his second record 'Because I Got High', it's main promotional methods were touring and the file sharing site Napster. The title track was later played on The Howard Stern Show.

The song went on to become a worldwide hit in late 2001, it was featured in several high profile films including The Perfect Score, Disturbia and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, to add to the accolades the single went on to earn Afroman a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance in 2002. Leading on from this, the rapper went on the join the line up of Cypress Hill's 'Smoke Out' festival. He went on to sign a six album deal with Universal who released a compilation record titled 'The Good Times' which included picks from the rapper's first two LPs and some new material.

He never managed to achieve the success of that release commercially yet he continued to consistently release full length albums along with other material that surfaced online. In 2014 he remixed 'Because I Got High' to support the efforts to legalise marijuana in the US.

From the burning embers of the Lansdale, PA, band The Premier, came vocalist Dan “Soupy” Campbell, guitarist Matt Brasch, and multi-instrumentalist Nick Steinborn. Along with guitarist Casey Cavaliere, bassist Josh Martin, keyboardist Mikey Kelly and drummer Mike Kennedy, the line-up forms Philadelphia punk pop band The Wonder Years. Named after an essay of the same name lead singer Campbell wrote for his after-school education teacher, the band’s early years were spent releasing split EPs with other local bands.

After completing their first tour of the UK, The Wonder Years recorded and self-released their debut album “Get Stoked on It!” on October 30, 2007. The release, along with their touring schedule led to a swelling of the band’s fan base and signing with No Sleep Records shortly afterwards.

The band’s label debut came in spring 2008 with the EP “Won’t Be Pathetic Forever” followed by a split release with UK pop punk band All or Nothing titled “Distances” in 2009. Mikey Kelly subsequently left the band following the release to pursue other outlets.

With a devoted following for the release of their second full-length LP “The Upsides” (2010), the album performed much better commercially than the first, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard alternative artist chart. Shortly after the release the band announced they had signed to Hopeless Records and were releasing a deluxe version of the album with the added songs “I Was Scared and I’m Sorry”, “We Won’t Bury You” and “Dynamite Shovel (Campfire Version)” among others.

After following the release with an extensive touring schedule, The Wonder Years announced they were returning to the studio, the result of which was “Suburbia I’ve Given You All Now I’m Nothing”. Release on June 14, 2011 the album was inspired by the Allen Ginsberg poem entitled “America” and was led by the single “Local Man Ruins Everything”. Subsequent singles included “Don’t Let Me Cave In” and “Coffee Eyes”. In 2012 the band released a split 6-inch with pop punk band Stay Ahead of the Weather with the name “Punk Is Dead” and rereleased their debut “Get Stoked on It!”.

2013 brought four shows in less than 24 hours in promotion of the band’s fourth full-length LP “The Greatest Generation”. Sales for the album were more than double any of The Wonder Years’ previous releases and the success of which led to dates at the UK’s Slam Dunk festival and Vans Warped tour 2013.