St. Petersburg hip-hop group Nu Age Syndicate is combining fresh style with hazy sounds. Formed when its two founding members Chester Watson and Kent Loon were in high school, Nu Age Syndicate (including collaborators Nikola and Kanisona) is on a mission to help each other grow as artists, and help their St. Petersburg scene grow as a hub for hip-hop.
As you can see in the above season premiere episode of Scenes, members of Nu Age Syndicate place an emphasis on individuality and personal aesthetic, encouraging each member of the four-piece to tap into what makes them unique. As they shop for clothes, however, Watson and Loon notice how different their tastes are and encourage each other to wear what feels right for them. “Style is extremely important,” Watson says. “You don’t have to be the same to respect something. And I think [Loon and I] both have that. Our energies, they mesh extremely well.”
Elsewhere in the video, the group hits the studio, where their musical chemistry comes into play. With Watson at the helm of much of the production for Nu Age Syndicate, Loon and the others are able to create the evergreen sound that will still sound fresh for years to come. “Coming from the bottom, St. Petersburg is really lowkey,” Loon says. “When it comes to my music, I want to stamp my music so everything’s timeless. They’re able to listen to a Kent Loon track 20 years from now.”
Check out the full video above.