Hyland is a Christian Melodic Rock band from Minneapolis, MN. They recently signed a deal with Tooth & Nail records, and released thier full lenth debut album in May of 2011. They have worked with many talented music professionals, including Ben Kasica of Skillet, and Nick Rad of Acceptance. They have also performed at many major festivals across the nation, including Sonshine, Creation West, Lifelight, Lifest, Hills Alive, Alive Fest, Purple Door, Big Ticket, and SXSW.

Every caboose needs an engine in order to make its way down the train tracks. Rapper Kaboose is no different. God serves as Kaboose’s engine, allowing the Minnesota rapper to follow faithfully behind.

Kaboose knows first-hand what it’s like to be in a setting that does not breed positivity — or excellence — on the paternal side. He was raised in an abusive home environment for some of his childhood and uses the moving “Simply Broken Down” to urge people to look at the repercussions of having a child without accepting the consequences of how fractured parental relationships impact children.

“I grew up seeing the wrong ways a man should treat a woman and how a relationship should start,” he says. “Now, I feel we have a fatherless generation in our society. People are hooking up and having kids, but they don’t want that responsibility so they leave or don’t try to further that relationship. So, you have this kid that’s stuck in the middle and wondering, ‘What did I do wrong? Why is this happening to me? Does my mom not like me? Does my father not like me?’ We need to step up and be responsible for the choices we make. Just because you’re in that situation doesn’t mean that you’re any less than anybody else. That’s just the hand that you were dealt and we can get over that.”

Growing up bi-racial (Native American, white), Kaboose endured additional strife and pain as he bounced around from house to house with relatives from both sides of his heritage. The brilliant social examination “Two Sides” features Kaboose exploring the prejudices he experienced from his Native and white friends toward the other group.

“Hip-hop was like an escape,” Kaboose recalls. “When times were going bad and I heard my mom and step-dad getting into a fight, I could put my headphones on and escape to a different place. It felt like it was a place for me to fit in. It was a place where I could hang out and be accepted.”