From an early age, Kenton Dunson knew music was his passion. It ran in his blood – his mother and father both had backgrounds in music so it was only right for him to follow in their footsteps. He got his first toy drum set at the age of five and since then music has always had a special place in his heart. Most of his drumming centered around his love for go-go, as it does for most DMV youth. He really picked up the drums when his sister put hers down because “she started to get into boys,” he jokingly says. As he got older he found his way to the piano when his church was “looking for someone to play the piano; so they sponsored my lessons.”

Since then, Kenton has grown leaps and bounds as a musician. His first solo effort, which he wrote and produced himself, is slated to be released June 3rd of this year. It was after some careful soul-searching that Kenton realized that being a musician was his calling. He worked in the financial investment field after graduating college and continued to pursue his love of music part-time, moonlighting with quite a few bands. After doing this for a couple of years he realized he could no longer deny his true identity as a musician. In February 2010 he quit his job and became a full-time musician. When he told his parents about his decision, “they were like, FINALLY!” With their support and approval, he set out to blaze his own path.

He draws inspiration from the people around him. Most hip-hop artists draw their inspiration from other hip-hop artists; in this regard, Kenton is no different. He draws inspiration from super-producer Timbaland’s work. But much unlike most hip-hop artists, it is not the only genre of music that Kenton draws inspiration from. He really admires alternative rock band Radiohead’s songwriter and front man Thom Yorke, “he’s a very talented guy and he’s really good at his craft.” Sometimes his inspiration comes from those outside of the music industry, such as late CBS journalist Ed Bradley. After watching Bradley for so many years and seeing how Bradley was able to reach such a wide ranging audience he realized, “it had to be bigger than the music.”

Kenton’s journey, though in its infancy, has taken him up and down the East coast. He has even had the opportunity to hang out with John Legend in New York. He’s learned a lot from the industry thus far and when asked about his experiences, Kenton says, “I know people say the industry is cut throat but I have no qualms with the industry.”

Being from the DMV, Kenton has experienced a warm reception locally. When asked about the often mentioned lack of support for its own Kenton thinks “DC is still searching for its identity. Go-Go has been such a big part of DC for such a long time and since it hasn’t taken off DC is still trying to find its place in the music industry.” He loves Baltimore because “[Baltimore] welcomes independent artists.” Sometimes he thinks people mistake him for being arrogant but he want is to be clear that “I’ll work with any cat!” He hopes to “gain reach as an independent artist who isn’t backed by a major label” and if he is fortunate enough to sign he hopes that it is an independent distribution deal.

In the near future Kenton has a lot to look forward to. His upcoming album The Kenton Dunson Progression release party is coming up June 3rd at The 8×10 in Baltimore. He’s currently collaborating with 2 artists, Adversary and Ryan Kelly, both of whom are working on their individual projects. He hopes to continue on this enlightening journey that is his music career and continue making albums, “maybe even one day teach a class on independent music and when it is all said and done I want people to say Kenton Dunson was original.” Be on the lookout for this up-and-coming artist.  He is definitely a breath of fresh of air for hip-hop. In the meantime, check out his album streaming on his website.