Tacos & Tequila Festival

Howard Earl Bailey Jr., better known by his stage name Chingy, is an American rapper. Based in St. Louis, he toured as an opening act with fellow St. Louis rapper Nelly in 2002, and signed with fellow Southern rapper Ludacris' record label, Disturbing tha Peace (DTP), that same year. Released in a joint-venture with Capitol Records, his 2003 debut single, "Right Thurr", peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It preceded his debut studio album Jackpot (2003), which, despite mixed critical reception, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. His second album, Powerballin' (2004), peaked at number ten on the chart, while his third album, Hoodstar (2006), peaked at number nine and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten single, "Pullin' Me Back". His fourth album, Hate It or Love It (2007), witnessed a commercial decline and was preceded by the single "Fly Like Me". His fifth album, Success & Failure (2010), failed to chart.

After his graduation from the University of Kansas in 2007, Ashton transitioned his love for nightlife into a job managing a popular dance club in Lawrence, Kansas.There, under the critical eyes of DJ B-Stee and DJ Archie, he began creating his own style and fine-tuning his skills as a DJ. In 2008, Ashton made the move to Kansas City and began the extensive process of making a name for himself in the scene and establishing relationships within the community of local DJs. His commitment to constantly evolving his musical repertoire and improving his technique are invaluable traits that keep Ashton in high demand. Ask any of his devoted following and they will tell you, “Ashton definitely plays what we want to hear and many thing that we didn’t even know we wanted to hear.” The party atmosphere that Ashton brings to his gigs keeps energy high and people on the dance floor all night. Ashton has played several venues in the Kansas City area, including; One80, Ernie Biggs, Czar Bar, Luna, Club 1000, Garment District, , Velvet Dog, Tower Tavern, Sumo by Numbaro, Fuel, Re:Verse Mosaic, Rock Bar, The Jones Pool and the Power & Light Live Stage… just to name a few. Ashton has also headlined several of Kansas City’s premier events, such as New Years Eve 2011 Kc Live Block Party, Bud Light Platinum 6.0 Launch Party, Cerner Corporation’s Night Of The Titans Halloween Party & Perceptive Software’s Annual Holiday Party. All held in the Midland Theater located downtown in the Power & Light District. He also is involved with several charity events throughout the year, such as The Lymphoma & Leukemia Society, Breast Cancer Awareness, Red Cross, Helping Hands Foundation & Operation Breakthrough. The list continues to grow. Ashton also keeps a positive relationship with EventKc.com , a successful event production company based out of Kansas City, together they host annual parties including the White Party, and The Rock The Block Fashion Show, among others. His current Monthlies are comprised of Fo Thai, Ra, Sol Cantina, The Well, The Point, Rock Bar, Mosaic, Hotel, both in the Power & Light District. As well as Club Indigo (Wichita, KS) and The Cave & Tonic (Lawrence, KS) Under his current contract with SOUL MGMT, Ashton has made numerous out-of-state debuts. These include; Opening for DJ Scene at Studio 54 (Las Vegas, NV), Café Boa (Scottsdale, AZ), W Hotel (Scottsdale, AZ), W Hotel (Los Angles, CA), Elite Lounge (Omaha, NE), Margarita’s (Des Moines, IA), Club Indigo (Wichita, KS), Autumn Music Festival, Club Mekka (Miami, FL), B-Lounge (Gallup, NM), Whisky Park (Minneapolis, MN), Robusto Room (Denver, CO) The Jet (Denver, CO)

Joseph Antonio Cartagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1991, and pursued a solo career with the release of his debut studio album, Represent (1993) the following year. Cartagena formed the hip hop group Terror Squad and its namesake record label in the late 1990s, through which he has signed fellow New York artists including Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, Cuban Link, Triple Seis, as well as then-unknown producers DJ Khaled and Cool & Dre.

Shawn Maurice Mims, known mononymously as Mims, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2006 single "This Is Why I'm Hot", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100. Its success led him to sign with Capitol Records, who issued the song as the lead single from his debut studio album, Music Is My Savior (2007). His second album, Guilt (2009), was preceded by the single "Move ", his third and final Billboard Hot 100 entry.

Torhi Murphy Lee Harper, better known by his stage name Murphy Lee, is an American rapper who is best known as a member of the St. Louis, Missouri-based hip hop group, St. Lunatics. Following the commercial success of its lead member Nelly in the early 2000s, Lee signed with his label Derrty Entertainment, an imprint of Universal Records to release his debut studio album, Murphy's Law (2003). It peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the Billboard Hot 100-number one single "Shake Your Tailfeather", which was also included on the accompanying soundtrack to the 2003 film Bad Boys II.

Paul Michael Slayton, better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He was an early signee of the Houston-based record label Swishahouse in the late 1990s, through which he met labelmate Chamillionaire and released several albums, including the collaborative Get Ya Mind Correct (2002). By 2005, he signed with Atlantic Records to release his second album and major label debut, The Peoples Champ (2005), which debuted atop the Billboard 200. His third album, Get Money, Stay True (2007), peaked within the chart's top ten. His guest appearance on Nelly's 2005 single "Grillz" yielded his greatest commercial success, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was also nominated for Best Rap Performance as a Duo or Group at the 2007 Grammy Awards.

Pretty Ricky is an American R&B and hip hop group from Miami, Florida formed in 1998, currently consisting of brothers Diamond 'Baby Blue' Smith and Spectacular Smith, plus Corey 'Slick 'em' Mathis and Lingerie. In 2008 Pleasure P ( ) left the group to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Christopher '4Play' Myers, who was then later replaced by Lingerie. The group released their debut album on Atlantic Records in 2005, with the lead single Grind On Me reaching #7 on the Billbord Hoot 100. Their second studio album, Late Night Special was released in 2007, and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Their third studio album, Eighties Babies was shelved due to heavy internet leaking and lack of promotion. Their fourth studio album, Pretty Ricky, was released on the 17th of November 2009 on their own label Bluestar Entertainment.....

Katrina Laverne Kearse is an American rapper. She gained recognition for her collaborations on fellow Florida-based rapper Trick Daddy's 1998-2001 singles "Nann Nigga", "Shut Up", and "Take It to da House". She signed with the Miami-based label Slip-N-Slide Records to release her debut album Da Baddest Bitch (2000), which spawned her first Billboard Hot 100 entry as a lead artist, "Pull Over". Her second album, Diamond Princess (2002), spawned the single "B R Right" and peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200.

Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, better known by his stage name Xzibit, is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, radio personality, and record executive. He began his musical career in 1992, and signed with Loud Records, an imprint of RCA Records to release his debut studio album, At the Speed of Life (1996). The album saw positive critical reception, modestly entered the Billboard 200, and spawned the single "Paparazzi," which peaked at number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100. His second album, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz (1998), was met with similar reception and spawned the single "What U See Is What U Get."

Jasiel Amon Robinson, better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper known for his 2006 single "It's Goin' Down", which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to its release, he signed with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy South, an imprint of Atlantic Records, in a joint venture with Block Entertainment; the song served as lead single for his debut studio album, New Joc City (2006). The album and its sequel, Hustlenomics (2007), both peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 despite mixed critical responses. He is also known for his guest appearance on T-Pain's 2007 single "Buy U a Drank ", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100.