A New Dawn, a New Bay

Homemade mix tapes have also allowed Balance to define who he is as an artist. It's a poorly kept secret that how a major-label MC is presented to the public -- everything from what he wears to how he acts in interviews -- is determined in a boardroom. But Balance feels that if he sells enough tapes independently, and continues making his name on the underground circuit, the majors will have no choice but to accept him as is. "When you're on a major label," he says, "they water you down and make you concerned with things that you don't need to be concerned about. I don't want to worry about making a radio single. I don't want to worry about the love songs. I want to be able to make my music, my album."

And while he does see signing to a major label as the next step, Balance is taking it slow. "To me, there's no rush," he says. "One thing that I've noticed is that whenever you do something that's independent, once it gets to the point where there's enough money, people pay attention to you. It's only a matter of time for me."