Having spent his teenage years at a boarding school for the arts, Hall dedicated his life to music upon his high-school graduation. He self-released Lace Up Your Shoes in 2004; two years later, the teenaged Hall prepared for his major-label debut with Geffen Records. The Rascals Have Returned, an introductory EP produced by John Alagía, featured a soothing mix of reggae, folk, and roots rock. Sales were slow, however, and Geffen dropped Hall from its roster in 2008.

Hall continued to tour, performing shows alongside the likes of Ben Harper, Matisyahu, and the Wailers. He also returned to the studio to record a self-titled 2009 sophomore album emphasizing the artist's reggae influences. Hall's next full-length offering, 2011's Everything, Everytime, Everywhere, was produced by Jimmy Messer and reached number 80 on the Billboard Top 200. In June 2014, Hall made a surprise announcement on his Facebook page that his fifth album, Chapter of the Forest, would be released the following day. A year later, he released the stripped-down, intimate five-song EP Unpack Your Memories... followed by the full-length album KALA. ~ MacKenzie Wilson