A Chicago producer with a penchant for otherworldly beats, Monte Booker has risen quickly through the world of Midwestern hip-hop. ∙ In 2012, he formed the Zero Fatigue collective alongside rapper Smino—the crew later grew to include R&B singer Ravyn Lenae. ∙ Booker was introduced to a wider audience in 2015 when L.A.’s Soulection label tapped him to curate the 16th edition of their White Label EP series. ∙ He produced several tracks on Smino’s 2017 debut album, blkswn, and he also contributed to the 2018 follow-up, NOIR. ∙ After hearing NOIR, rapper J. Cole invited Booker to participate in the expanded 2020 Director’s Cut of his Grammy-nominated Revenge of the Dreamers III compilation.