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Rap, Hip Hop, R&B, Jazz 8Ball & MJG Alchemist Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir AZ B.G. Bubba Sparxxx & Greg Street Present Cam'Ron & Vado Clipse present Re-Up Gang D-Block Dem Franchize Boyz Demarco Devin The Dude DJ Kayslay DJ Khaled Dorrough E.S.G. Fat Joe Funkmaster Flex Grafh Jim Jones Joe Crack & Pistol Pete present K.A.R Juvenile Kane and Abel KRS-ONE Max Minelli Mike Epps M.O.P. Paper Route Gangstaz RZA Sauce Sheek Louch Skillz Skull Gang Slaughterhouse Slim Thug Slim Thug Presents Boss Hogg Outlawz Slum Village Styles P UNK Brian McKnight Donell Jones Dwele Elisabeth Withers Faith Evans Ray J Solomon Burke Vivian Green Bob James Cyrus Chestnut Dominick Farinacci Earl Klugh Gabriela Anders Jane Krakowski Jeff Golub Jenny Scheinman Jesse Cook Lauren Kinhan Nick Colionne Philippe Saisse Regina Carter Robin McKelle Simone SOIL & PIMP SESSIONS Sophie Milman Terri Lyne Carrington The Bad Plus Warren Hill

Christian, Gospel, Childrens Ashley Cleveland Avalon Fort Pastor Josh Lopez Melissa Greene Rita Springer Ronnie Freeman Sarah Macintosh Twila Paris William McDowell Bebe Winanas Rev. Timothy Right Barbie Fraggle Rock Sesame Street Strawberry Shortcake The Wiggles Thomas the Tank Engine

Classical, Dance, More 5 Browns Anne Akiko Meyers Bela Fleck / Zakir Hussain / Edgar Meyer George Tsontakis Imani Winds Jade Simmons Sara Davis Buechner Spokane Symphony Time For Three Ringo Starr The Smithereens Carl Cox DJ Encore DJ Rekha Erika Jayne Matt Darey Comics on Duty

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It's been roughly thirty years since hip-hop's birth, and while the culture's gone on to assimilate itself in many ways, at the core its main purpose has remained the same. Hip-hop, like the American dream itself, is still largely about people from the bottom using whatever tools they have at their disposal to make it to the top. It's about taking everything that is negative in life and turning it into positive. It's an ideal that Pistol Pete, a Bronx-bred, street legend-turned-CEO, knows quite well. Pete Torres has seen his life change drastically in recent years. Gone but not forgotten are the days when his enterprising criminal activities on Cypress Avenue and 141st street lead him to a 10-year prison sentence on attempted murder charges. While in jail he spent time locked up with Pappy Mason, Larry Davis, and Boy George- veritable street legends in their own right- and he earned a reputation among his peers as a cantankerous inmate prone to vicious bouts of violence against both correction officers and other inmates. From within the penal system to the streets of New York, word spread of Pistol Pete's treacherous exploits, and his legend grew. He'd eventually return home in 1995, and when peddling crack on corners seemed too lowly a hustle for someone of his stature, he started extorting drug dealers. But in '96, after landing on the Bronx's "Most Wanted" list, he was caught and sent off to Federal prison. It was in the Feds where Pete would find the inspiration for what would eventually become his calling card, his company, and his own street movement- Kill All Rats. "When I went to the Federal system I was so disgusted," Pete explains. "Sons telling on mothers. The mother was telling on the father. I come from Rikers, from the State system where niggas get slashed up for telling. So I started Kill All Rats, which was basically against all of that. If you told on my man and you was in the Feds with me, I'd smack you up. I put Kill All Rats on my right hand, and then eventually niggas who got life sentences started doing it. When I came home I turned it into something constructive." When Pete returned home yet again in 2002, he was welcomed not only with love from the hood, but by fellow Terror Squad member Fat Joe, who had gone on to become one of the music industry's biggest stars. Joe, whom Pete had known before he was in the music industry, took the upstart under his wing as he tried to find his way in the entertainment industry. He opened up a world of opportunities for his fellow Terror Squadian and it wasn't long before he was sitting down with famed music industry attorney Burt Purdell creating his own company, Kill All Rats Entertainment. The urban entertainment world would eventually get their first dose of Pete in early 2005, on director Troy Reed's DVD documentary about violence in Rikers Island, Scarface 4 Life, where he explained some of the finer points of his exploits in the bing. He'd then go on to team with Steve Lobel, his partner at the time, and also the manager of rap group Bone Thugs N' Harmony, to executive produce the Universal-distributed DVD doc Death Before Dishonor, which was a behind the scenes look at Hip-Hop's "Stop Snitchin'" movement. The DVD would go on to sell over 170 thousand copies and solidify Pete as a force in the world of gritty urban films. Since then he's starred in the recent Bone Thugs film I Tried, and is due to be in the most recent KAR movie Tells from the Pen. In addition, he has appeared as a model in print ad campaigns for Azzure Denim, was on the cover of Protige in August 2007, featured in Ozone Magazine, and continues to pop up as an extra in countless rap videos. As well, he's continuously name dropped, particularly as a result of his street legend status, in songs by artists like Nas, The Diplomats, Hell Rell, and Fat Joe. Now Pete plans to make his own inroads in the music industry. He's currently prepping a Koch Records compilation album entitled "Pistol Pete T.S. presents: Kill All Rats Mafia," which will serve as an introduction to his KAR artists- Onez, Leader, and Rob Kash. Hand-picked by Pete himself, each artist hails from a different section of New York, and brings a unique intangible to the group. Rob Kash, a 31-year old from Harlem's East Side, was originally supposed to be the first artist in DJ Kay Slay's Streetsweepers crew. But he caught a bid and was forced to take an iron vacation in 2002. Fresh from the pen in '05, Pete snatched him up and added him to the KAR roster. "I heard him and I loved him," says Pete. "Off the rip I did what I had to do." Rounding out the squad are young gunners Onez and Leader. "Onez is 18, from Washington Projects," says Pete. "When I heard him he had that deep throat voice like Game. He's a good looking kid, and he got the swagger. And Leader is from the Bronx. I found him through Tony Sunshine. He's also 18-years old. I brought him to the studio and kept him there. He's hungry. We're looking at him like he's going to be the star of the group, and he's a loyal kid." Executive produced by Fat Joe, the album will showcase the talent of the KAR crew beyond the countless street mixtapes and DVDs they've already appeared on. Joining them for the ride will be Sean Kingston, Sheek Louch, Jadakiss, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, and soundscapes will be provided by a diverse set of beatmakers which will include Pete's own Butter Beats production crew as well as Scott Storch, Cool and Dre, and Streetrunner. In describing the project, Pete says: "We have a statement to make. We have music on there that people will be able to relate to. I'm going to be talking on the album. I'm going to have skits with guys in jail. I'm going to have jail songs. It's gonna have club joints, joints where you can fall back. But at the end of the day we got to have that hard shit that motherfuckers are gonna love and respect." "When I came home from jail I was humble to the streets and that gave me a lot of opportunities," he says. "Now, even when I'm walking around with all my jewelry on, niggas that rob and steal see me and just want to take a picture. I never thought in my life I'd be doing all this. But I did this for Boy George. I did this for Leo. I did this for Richie Rich. I did this for Charlie Rock. This whole Kill All Rats movement is dedicated to them brothers who are never coming home." Spoken like a true voice of the streets.

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