R&B multi-instrumentalist Van Hunt grew up surrounded by the pimp lifestyle of his father. A soundtrack of classic soul and contemporary R&B was his backdrop. A guitarist and songwriter since his teens, he signed with Capitol in 2003 and his self-titled debut arrived in 2004. It peaked within the Top 40 of Billboard's R&B Albums chart. The strong follow-up, On the Jungle Floor, was issued in 2006 and topped the Heatseekers chart but failed to leave much of an impression otherwise. Hunt then shifted to Blue Note; promotional copies of Popular, his first album for the label, were mailed out, but the release was ultimately shelved. Hunt subsequently assembled Use in Case of Emergency, a free download. ~ MacKenzie Wilson