Philadelphia has always had a sound. Not just a sound you could hear, but one you could feel—in the records, the voices, the horns, the strings, the streets, the churches, the radio, the dance floors and the stories passed from one generation to the next. Princess Idia Gamble was born right in the middle of that history.

Some people cover hip-hop. Some promote it. Others spend years preserving its history. Chad M. Kiser has done all three — journalist, publicist, author, entrepreneur and, most importantly, someone who understands that behind every record, career and cultural moment is a story worth telling.

Some singers learn how to use their voice. Scarlett Fagan had to learn how not to be afraid of hers. Long before sold-out rooms and records of her own, the London-born, Devon-raised singer was the shy kid absorbing Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Motown, soul and reggae, discovering in those records that the most powerful voices weren't necessarily the prettiest or safest—they were the ones willing to tell the truth.