Miles Bonny is the organizer behind INnatesounds, a hip-hop crew that is releasing its debut disc. The roots of the crew can be traced to Lawrence, where Bonny developed his producing/performance skills.

Brother of Moses (Aaron Sutton) is one of 19 artists who represent the INnatesounds crew.

I was ready to quit, they tried to silence it

But now I’m gettin’ under their skin, just like psoriasis

I provide the hit that everyone is vibing with

We create the demand, so now we’re just supplying it

– From “The Anthem” by INnatesounds

For the first half of this decade, Miles Bonny came to exemplify the Lawrence hip-hop scene.

Now the singer/producer has expanded his reach in all directions.

Gathering talent from Kansas City, California and Britain, Bonny is preparing to launch the first CD from his INnatesounds crew. The collaborative collective represents some of the marquee names within the diverse KC hip-hop scene … and beyond.

“I think what makes us strong is how strong we are as individuals,” Bonny says. “Then once we come together, it’s not really about creating a common sound, but letting everybody do what they do and stand for who they are as a person.”

What exactly defines a crew, as opposed to a group or band, is still somewhat nebulous from Bonny’s perspective. He prefers to view INnatesounds in much broader terms.

“If we’re to model ourselves off something, it would be any other era of quality record labels, such as Blue Note,” Bonny explains. “It’s not a group, but it’s also not a label. I think this whole process is about understanding what it is.”

Ideally, Bonny’s ultimate goal is to become a full-fledged record label and creative outlet that has international distribution. (He’s already developed a substantial fan base in Europe and Japan.) He hopes to generate a name synonymous “with quality and not gimmicks.”

Bonny is joined in the crew by Leonard D. Stroy, Brother of Moses, Reggie B, Daru, Joc Max, Beatbroker, Ubiquitous, Godemis, Stik Figa, Smoov Confusion, Kara, John Brewer, Brandon Draper, Phil Torpey, S.G., TE1, Taha and D/Will.

A majority of the members will be in attendance at tonight’s INnatesounds record release showcase at The Jackpot Music Hall, 943 Mass.

“Lawrence audiences can expect a very good time, a party/jam session-type atmosphere,” says Topeka native John Westbrook Jr., who performs under the name Stik Figa. “We’re touching on so many sounds and styles, it will have something for everybody.”

Artistic challenges

The diversity in style and approach is what makes INnatesounds both so compelling and so tricky to pull off.

The group recently holed up for a two-month marathon session that resulted in the 18-track disc dubbed “Alpha.”

“The most challenging part was meeting the deadlines. With so many people involved it was definitely a challenge to get everyone on the same page, but we pulled it off,” says Stik Figa, the reigning champ at Lawrence’s Farmer’s Ball competition.

Kansas City rapper Aaron Sutton – who is one-half of the veteran duo Deep Thinkers – joined the crew because he was impressed with the talent already assembled. Sutton goes by the name Brother of Moses (“I didn’t want to come up with some crazy name like Master Pimp or nothing. I decided to keep it simple,” he says), and considers himself a socially conscious rapper.

“With INnatesounds, you may have a dude who’s more conscious who works with a guy who’s more of a battle MC. Then you have another cat who does more of a sing-a-ling rock/hip-hop. All those people can come together and make a track.”

Brother of Moses says the sheer number of contributors makes the process very competitive.

“You want to do your best with the small space you have. It definitely encourages you to use it to your full potential,” he says.

Exit from Lawrence

The seeds of INnatesounds began when Bonny was living in Lawrence.

A New Jersey native, Bonny came to Kansas University to study broadcast communication.

“But while I was there they changed it to ‘strategic communication,’ which scared me because it sounded like the military,” says the artist, who ended up with a double major in American studies and African-American studies.

While at KU, he partnered with rapper Joe Good to form SoundsGood, which was one of the dominant local groups in the genre during the early 2000s. He also founded LawrenceHipHop.com, which sought to unite the burgeoning scene.

Two events led him away from Lawrence. First, he graduated in 2004. Then in 2005, Good retired from rapping, and Bonny decided to head to KC.

“It’s a revolving door (in Lawrence), so it’s hard to keep a long-term fan base. You have to put in the same amount of effort that you did to make yourself known in the first place every three or four years. That’s draining. It’s not something people want to do, to reinvent themselves or re-promote themselves,” he says.

(Interestingly, the defunct LawrenceHipHop.com now automatically redirects to HipHopKC.com.)

Bonny – who is currently employed as a social worker in Kansas City, Kan. – believes that though INnatesounds is rooted in hip-hop, the nature of the collective is open to a broader musical goal.

“Hip-hop culture would be considered the largest influence on the crew. However, we all love jazz, soul and other music, some rock and some electronic music. I don’t think we see any boundaries into how far we spread into those other genres,” he says.

On the horizon

“He’s definitely an eclectic producer,” Brother of Moses says of Bonny. “He has a lot of things to offer, as far as doing the traditional hip-hop or more of his R&B influence. His previous work with SoundsGood is definitely legendary in my eyes. It’s great to be able to continue on with that musical legacy.”

Bonny reveals that “Alpha” is just the first of many projects already in development.

The 27-year-old artist is kicking off a series of instrumental discs titled “Works” with his own first volume. Leonard D. Stroy’s should come out next month. Then a batch of solo projects are slated from the INnatesounds team.

“I’m in a unique position, as with a lot of the people in the crew, in that we are kids of musicians,” Bonny says. “We don’t have these abstract concepts of wanting to be a famous performer. We’re more just people who make music. Occasionally, we get paid sufficiently for it. Other times we don’t.”