You may recognize M A E S T R O as an artist, producer, and actor, but the multi-talented impresario simply considers himself, “A man with a plan who will figure it out by any means necessary.” Throughout two decades in entertainment, his plan hustle brought him from the South Side of Chicago to the highest heights of Hollywood. That encompasses everything from starring on HBO’s The Wire and headlining his own sitcom UPN’s Guys Like Us to the Broadway production of The Lion King and roles in Bone Tomahawk, AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead, Showtime’s House of Lies, and 2018’s Unsolved Season 1: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.

His musical output remains as diverse as his acting resume. He can recall working under the legendary Jermaine Dupri at the age of 12 and signing to Def Jam at 15. Producing, DJ-ing, and singing, he disrupted the EDM scene with bangers like the 2015 anthem “For You” with Dzeko & Torres and Delora—which clocked over 5 million Spotify streams and earned a spot Tiësto’s Club Life Vol. 4: New York City compilation. He produced the 2017 banger “Groovy” for Famous Dex and Dice Soho and even contributed piano to Nas’s chart-dominating opus, Life Is Good.

[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]