Forget gangster rap. A new generation is leading L.A. hip-hop towards a brighter future defined more by the city's sunny skies than its criminal underbelly.
The Dr. Dre figure overseeing this transformation is Polyester the Saint. The producer, rapper, singer and multi-instrumentalist was the driving force (along with co-producer Lazy Lou) behind 2009's LAUSD Presents: Curly Tops & Nautica Jackets, a scene-capturing, L.A.-artists-only mixtape that featured Pac Dic, U-N-I, Blu and Dom Kennedy, among others. Now Polyester, who's also produced for Too Short and E-40 and collaborates regularly with electro-soul duo J*DaVeY and Sa-Ra's Taz Arnold, is stepping out with his own solo album, Peace Love Unity Respect. Far from traditional hip-hop, his eclectic, leftfield sound borrows equally from jazz and funk—think Andre 3000's The Love Below, if it came from the West Coast in 2010.