Shwayze [ tickets ], born Aaron Smith, uses his easy-going Malibu life as fodder for his beats, which caught the attention of Whitestarr frontman Cisco Adler one evening back in 2005. Since then, the two have been friends and musical cohorts, creating mellow hip hop accompanied by acoustic guitars.

Shwayze's forthcoming full-length, self-titled debut, out July 15 on Suretone Records, showcases the duo's collaborative style, with all 11 tracks co-written by Adler, who also took care of production and added background vocals.