Rapper/songwriter Koncept was born Keith Michael Whitehead in Queens, New York in 1985. A love of hip-hop culture led him to a lifestyle that included graffiti, DJ'ing, working at hip-hop-centric record store Fat Beats, and eventually writing his own material. Beginning around 2007, Koncept began working toward a life in music, recording and self-releasing several collections on his own, beginning with 2009's Resilience. He would release several more EPs and made notable guest spots on tracks by DJ Concept and J57 as his reputation grew. His debut album came in the form of 2012's Awaken, a critically acclaimed release with cameo appearances by Royce da 5'9, Soul Khan, and many others. Koncept performed more often and continued to collaborate with similar artists for the next few years, eventually moving to Korea in 2017. While in Korea, he signed a record deal with Sony Music Asia. With help from the major-label subsidiary, he formed his own imprint, Champagne Konny, and released his second album, 14 Hours Ahead, in June of 2017. ~ Fred Thomas, Rovi