Rhymesayers Entertainment was built from the ground up by people who truly believed in what they were creating. 20 years into the life of Rhymesayers, the founders of the label - including Slug from Atmosphere and Brent “Siddiq” Sayers - have a lengthy roster of talented, hard-working hip-hop artists on their hands.

The two aforementioned founders, plus Rhymesayers artists deM atlaS and Evidence from Dilated Peoples along with label G.M. Jason “J-Bird” Cook and Project Manager Kevin Beacham, brought their 20th anniversary celebration down to Austin for a special session during the 2015 SXSW Music Conference. The speakers covered everything from the story and growth of Rhymesayers to what it takes as an artist or a staff member to work on an indie label.

Perhaps the most important lesson to take away from this session stems from why this group started the label in the first place: their passion, creativity and drive for making great music.