Blossoming during an age in which independent hip-hop was creating its own self-sufficient industry, much of the Midwest was watching its artists putting their cities on the map, Soulcrate Music took the model to a new plateau. DJ Absolute and siblings Attention Def and Dirt Dee built their following from scratch in their hometown of Sioux Falls, SD, focusing on creating a new style of energetic music with a high regard for soul and classic hip-hop. Quickly, the trio found itself opening local shows for national heavyweights, from Atmosphere, 311, and The Spill Canvas. Their following at home exploded overnight, selling out 400-500 capacity venues as a must see headliner. Soon focus turned to regional touring and caught the attention of Black Clover Records, who took their road show national. They toured relentlessly in 2009 and sold-out hometown venues with capacities nearing 1000.