Talent stays talent. Ownership stays theirs.

J. Otis is a Cree hip hop artist, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur whose work weaves together music, storytelling, and community advocacy. He spent the first five years of his career giving back, creating and directing Healing Through Music with Fort Albany First Nation, a youth program pairing songwriting, recording, and production with mental health support and practical help for young people facing trauma, substance use, and other challenges.

He studied Music Industry Arts at Algonquin College in 2020, joined DARKSPARK’s Version Fellowship in 2023 under founders D’ari and Mel, and has recorded with producer JLL. His catalogue includes Trilogy Chapter 1 and Heavens Above, with songs like “In My Mind,” “Do or Die,” “Nights,” and “Unstable.” Through 2025 and 2026 he has been building Trilogy Chapter 2 with producer and engineer William Dinero.

As founder of Land Sky Records, which grew out of 67 Records, he champions artist ownership and sustainable careers for independent and Indigenous talent. Next up: his Reservation Tour across Canada and the United States, and a promotional tour spanning Canada, the U.S., the UK, and Africa, carrying what Healing Through Music taught him to inspire programs in Indigenous communities everywhere.

Koosey’s story starts on a school computer in one of Ontario’s most remote communities. In high school, his geography teacher, Bruce, showed him FL Studio, and that one open door became a lifelong craft. Living in Timmins from 2018 to 2020, he taught himself Logic Pro X, shared his work as Koosey Beats, and recorded his very first song in a makeshift closet studio in his mother’s basement.

In 2020 he returned home to Fort Albany and began an apprenticeship under J. Otis, training as a mixing engineer, taking vocal lessons, and building a discography, from his debut on Unstable to features on Trilogy Chapter 1, before launching as an independent Indigenous artist under 67 Records. That mentorship grew into a lasting creative partnership, with Koosey taking more and more control of his sound, both behind the mic and at the mixing desk.

In 2024, after a period of personal hardship and rediscovery, he released four singles leading into his debut album, More? More.. It stands as proof of what perseverance, mentorship, and friendship can build from a single school computer. It’s the path the LSR Incubation Program exists to open for every young artist.

DJ Denise has spent nearly two decades making room for artists who don’t always get one. A Vancouver-based DJ, artist manager, event curator, radio producer, and live sound technician, she founded Denzin 8 Productions in 2007 and has since run live sound for more than 750 shows, from community showcases and cultural celebrations to the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, the BMO Vancouver Marathon, and Caribbean Dayz. Off stage, she books, promotes, and coordinates showcases and tours for emerging artists.

On air, she produced and hosted Urban Renewal Project on Vancouver Co-op Radio and Queer FM on CITR, spotlighting local talent, sharing LGBTQ+ news and entertainment, and building welcoming spaces for diverse voices, while handling everything from interviews and programming to sponsorships, fundraising, and live broadcast production.

She also passes it on, leading workshops in DJing, live sound, and camera operation for youth from marginalized communities. Behind the decks, at the sound board, or mentoring the next wave, her work comes back to what LSR is built on: connecting people through music and opening doors for those who’ve been left out.

Philosofar is a Ugandan recording artist, songwriter, performer, filmmaker, and creative director with more than 15 years in the creative industry. His work blends personal storytelling and cultural expression with a strong technical foundation: music and film rooted in ambition and lived experience.

His catalogue stretches from the 2016 albums Dreams and Peace and Hope to 2023 singles “Look Good” and “LOSO THE DON,” and his 2025 EP More, featuring “Give Me More,” “Ms. Daisy,” “Sikyali Wuwo,” and “Amazing” with Kalagin SJ. He has kept building since with “Are You Winning,” “Ambition” featuring Stillbreezy and D’EXCRIMO, “The Route to Success,” “Tayomba,” and “Freedom.”

Behind the camera, he directs, writes, edits, and colour grades, taking a project from first idea to finished sound and picture. As CEO of Ja Know Media, a studio for music production, filmmaking, and visual media, he opens doors for fellow artists and creatives, pairing artistic vision with the practical skills that bring independent work to life.

Born in Kampala, Uganda, and raised in North West London, Dapz Taylor brings Ugandan and Caribbean heritage to a sound built on hip hop, UK garage, and grime. He started making music at 14, sharpening his craft with Musical Mob before joining SRE (Skata Records Entertainment), and appeared in music videos on Channel U as the UK’s urban scene was taking shape, with Tupac, Biggie, and Big L as early influences.

After a break from recording, he came back in 2015 on his own terms, launching GFE Music (God Fam Entertainment) with “Bang Bang” and “Michael Jackson.” What followed is a deep independent catalogue: Count Your Blessings (2018), Born Again (2019), and four projects in 2021 alone: Trill Taylor Vol 1, Vol 2, Vote For Me, and Zillionaire, plus singles including “U Can Be My Girl,” “All I Know,” “Lowkey,” and “Homework.”

His music is rooted in lived experience (faith, loyalty, family, resilience, and overcoming adversity) and written for listeners fighting their own battles. He carries the same vision into fashion through his clothing brand GFE765, built on ambition and self-belief. Artist, entrepreneur, husband, and father, he sees every release as part of a legacy for his family. Today he leads Land Sky Records in the United Kingdom.

Nataanii Means is a hip hop artist, songwriter, filmmaker, and advocate whose music connects cultural identity, youth empowerment, and Indigenous rights. Raised primarily in Chinle, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation and enrolled with the Oglala Lakota Nation at Pine Ridge, he started writing and making beats as a teenager, then studied filmmaking at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, where he began directing his own music videos. His appearance on MTV’s Rebel Music: Native America brought his work to audiences across the continent.

His albums 2 Worlds (2013), Balance (2018), and Growth (2022) speak honestly about identity, addiction, recovery, and holding onto a traditional way of life in a modern world, opening space for conversations about belonging, resilience, and the possibility of change.

Off stage, he mentors youth through workshops, public speaking, and university programs. That work began with suicide prevention in Pine Ridge and grew into giving young people the chance to write, record, film, and perform their own music. The son of American Indian Movement leader Russell Means, he carries that legacy forward through ceremony, community, and frontline work at Standing Rock and against pipeline projects, protecting land and water for future generations.

Born and raised on the Navajo Nation in Chinle, Arizona, Lonnie R. Begaye is a filmmaker, hip hop artist, and actor who brings a Native perspective to visual storytelling and music, drawing on his experiences growing up on the reservation.

He has studied filmmaking since 2012 and owns Meadow People Productions, a multimedia company that helps communities, artists, and organisations share their stories through documentaries, short narrative films, music videos, commercials, testimonials, and marketing photography. His portfolio includes work with Cowboys & Indians, Ralph Lauren, Nataanii Means, Hataałii, and Tatanka Means.

Performing as The .WAV Form, he writes from lived experience about growth, everyday struggle, and what it means to walk in beauty, with releases including the album The Climb Back Story and the singles “This Time Around” and “Day and The Night.” Across film, music, and acting, his work makes space for Native voices and helps others tell their stories through sound and image.

Skye Spence is an Indigenous photographer, cinematographer, and visual artist whose work captures the quiet presence of people and the things around them: a passing gesture, an understated emotion, the subtle way a person holds space. Blending an observational documentary eye with cinematic sensitivity, he works across portraiture, street photography, and visual storytelling grounded in lived experience. Light, gesture, and silence shape every frame, and he treats image making as an act of listening.

Shaped by personal history, recovery, and spiritual inquiry, his practice explores transformation, resilience, and the inner lives people carry beyond what is visible. That perspective runs through both his personal projects and his work with others.

His portfolio spans live music and DJ photography, documentaries, music videos, automotive content, and government events. Whether he is documenting a performance, building an artist’s visual identity, or capturing a community gathering, Skye collaborates with artists, communities, and organizations to create photography and film that feel intentional, expressive, and true to the people they represent.

Bad Sparksy is a Ugandan dancehall and reggae artist from Namuwongo, Kampala, whose music reflects resilience, ambition, and pride in his community. Blending dancehall energy with reggae, Afro-inspired sounds, and hip hop influences, he draws on lived experience to create music rooted in personal expression and connection.

Growing up amid the challenges of his neighbourhood, Sparksy found in music both a creative escape and a way to speak about the realities around him. His stage name reflects that journey, turning difficult circumstances into the determination that drives his artistry. His work carries a message of perseverance, encouraging listeners to remain grounded in who they are while pursuing something greater.

His catalogue includes Love in the Atmosphere (2021) and Gumite (Vol 1) (2026). His collaborative work includes “Tebinsetula,” a 2023 release with producers Amani Greene and Dogu that pairs his distinctive vocal delivery with classic dancehall influences and contemporary production, a song about staying true to your principles in the face of adversity. Through his recordings and collaborations, Bad Sparksy brings the stories and spirit of his Kampala roots into a broader musical conversation, expressing hope, determination, and community pride through Uganda’s dancehall scene.

Pablo Glanville is an independent filmmaker, videographer, and creative director from Birmingham whose journey into visual storytelling began through music. He first stepped behind the camera in 2020, shooting music videos entirely on his smartphone. Originally pursuing music as an artist himself, he began creating his own visuals and quickly discovered a deeper passion for filmmaking.

“Every project starts with music, and the music is what inspires and makes the film.”

In 2021 he invested in professional camera systems, and from 2020 to 2025 he specialized in music videos, sharpening his directing, cinematography, editing, and artist development. Influenced by music and culture across the United Kingdom and Jamaica, his work carries a strong sense of rhythm, performance, and contemporary urban storytelling. He has created visuals for artists including MC Ragnar, Greevz, Trupa, Chinkz, Kai a Million, Stulla, Adz, PB, Mad D, and Courtsz Capone.

His work has since grown into weddings, funerals, events, and narrative film, and in 2025 he established his own film production studio. Today Pablo produces films, weddings, events, and music visuals across Britain, combining a musician’s instincts with a filmmaker’s eye to create work that feels personal and cinematic. His focus remains on original films, collaborating with artists and communities, and telling the stories that first inspired him to pick up a camera.