Seattle rapper, Sol, is one of the city’s brightest lights. With warmth and compassion for his community, the emcee has produced some of the Emerald City’s most buoyant rhymes and joyously affirming tracks. His latest release, the music video for the song, “Soon Enough,” is a family photo album of friends and collaborators portrayed through a grateful lens. And we here at KEXP are proud to premiere the video, which you can see below along with a few poignant questions for the beloved local mic master.
KEXP: For some time you were known as one of the city’s best party rappers but your music lately seems to have a more teacherly, community-focused positivity. Is this fair and, if so, can you explain the shift?
Sol: If I'm teaching anything, then part of my pedagogy is definitely to forever approach things as a student to this game. As a student, I would say that I've learned more about the power of music through experience and I now make more records with that in mind.
The video for “Soon Enough” showcases you and many of your friends and collaborators, including KEXP favorites DoNormaal and Parisalexa, as well as your aunt and uncle. Why was this visual photo album important for you?
For me, the feeling that "Soon enough we all gon' rise" is very real. I was literally raised by the Seattle music scene and I feel deeply connected to my community, inspired by my peers and I proudly celebrate their triumphs. The lyrics and sonics of the song, "Soon Enough," are meant to feel like a collective rallying cry and so I wanted the video to look the same. I think the director, Noah Porter, beautifully captured what makes the Seattle arts community so special and I'm so happy we immortalized this moment in our scene on 16mm film forever.
Simply put, what are some of the things in your life you love the most at this moment in time?
Honestly, live music is everything to me and I've recently been reminded of how complete and at home I feel when on stage. I just had one of the best months of my life touring Europe for the first time and now I get to come home and play The Showbox this Friday with my band while my family and my hometown fans are in the crowd. Many times people only get to bring so many loved ones together at something like a wedding or a funeral, but I have this wonderful thing called music that gives me an excuse to gather so much love into one room. I'm not religious but if that isn't a blessed and spiritual experience then I don't know what is.
Sol plays this Friday, April 12th at Showbox SoDo with Karma Knowz and MistaDC, All Ages. The new album Soon Enough is out now.
Are genetics the root cause of musicality? It's a much-debated idea, but after our exhaustive research of sibling bands, we're convinced it could be true. In today's video roundup, we're celebrating National Sibling Day by bringing some lesser-known sibling bands to the forefront.
