There are many possible words or phrases I could potentially employ to introduce today's guest writer, Zilla Rocca . Producer. MC. CEO of Beat Garden Entertainment. One-half of the dynamic duo, Clean Guns . Marketing strategist. Hustler. Authentic hip-hop junkie. Needless to say, ZR stays forever on his grind, and currently holds way more titles than your average rap heavyweight. Since music writers/bloggers/basement critics tend to respect Zilla 's artistry as much as his hustle, many different sites have featured the man and/or his music at one time [...]
How we feelin' out there, soul children? I hope that you've been enjoying the guest series because some of the best submissions are yet to come. Since I've been on somewhat of a hiatus for the past couple of weeks (with the exception of the latest edition of Souled On Samples), I figured I'd hijack the plane for a second to share a few records that I've been diggin' recently... "A Fool Can't See The Light" --- O.V. Wright This isn't the first time that I've posted about Overton Vertis [...]
If you aren't already familiar with his expertise on all things hip hop, the time has come for you to get acquainted with Jaz . Hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, Jaz has quite an impressive "rap sheet". Not only did he run an underground hip hop radio show for 15 years, but he's also proficient in writing, rhyming, DJing...and just about anything else you can imagine. More recently, he's become legendary in the cyberhood, where he holds down one of the finest locations on the internet--- Cold Rock Da Spot . There he keeps [...]
When I first decided to run the guest series, I made a vow to myself and the soul children that I would only extend an invitation to the truly worthy---people who I personally respect and greatly admire. The man of the hour is certainly no exception. DJ Prestige runs an amazing spot called Flea Market Funk that has proven to be a utopian goldmine for funk and soul enthusiasts worldwide. Pres has not only mastered the fine art of mixing, but he also gets mad props from me for [...]
"If There's A Will There's A Way" --- Don Covay & the Jefferson Lemon Blues Band (Sampled on "Southside" by Common / Kanye West ) Dig deeper... "Our Generation" --- Ernie Hines (Sampled on "Let's Straighten It Out" by Pete Rock & CL Smooth ) Dig deeper... "Clouds In My Sunshine" --- Redbone (Sampled on "This Means You" by Reflection Eternal --- Talib Kweli + Hi-Tek ) [...]
There is nothing more rewarding than getting feedback from readers who say that they've discovered some wonderful music or learned something new from frequenting this site. That said, I'm humbled by the realization that I still have much to learn. Without a doubt, one of the people I turn to in hopes of furthering my own education is Colin Dilnot . Colin is an accomplished writer, not to mention the fact that he is virtually a human encyclopedia as it relates to knowledge of soul, funk, jazz, and the blues. His main blog is In Dangerous [...]
Today's guest blogger/mixologist is another first-rate soul/funk/jazz aficianado--- HeavySoulBrutha Dave B from Put The Needle On The Record . His site features lots of good tunes, mixes, links, videos and information. If you're a fan of any of the aforementioned genres, or just an all-around vinyl enthusiast, I can assure you that Dave 's your kind of people. Welcome to the family Soul Brutha , and thanks for blessing us with such an exceptional mix. K eep on keepin' on- Scholar [...]
Tune into a popular or contemporary music station for any length of time and you'll have to agree that listening audiences today tend to prefer songs with vocals, no matter how irritating or bereft of intelligence the lyrics might be. Yes, I'm fully aware that a subset of the population enjoys classical music and instrumental jazz compositions, but how often do you see such recordings making even the slightest dent on the Billboard charts? Rarely. While it's obvious that there's an endless stream of vocalists and MCs who I unquestionably admire, I also have an infinite number of [...]
Lately, I haven't had nearly as much time as I'd like to visit sites/blogs that I used to keep in fairly regular rotation. Although my acquaintance with Metal Lungies is relatively short-lived in contrast to some of the spots I've been frequenting for years, you can often catch me hanging around there these days. This speaks volumes about the quality of their content, especially considering that I have no less than 5,067 hip-hop related sites bookmarked for "future reference". What sets Lungies [...]
Instead of blowing the dust off of my trusty old thesaurus to seek adjectives that might describe the phenomenon known as floodwatchmusic , I'm going to break this down into terms that even the elementary level soul children will understand... Flood is fuckin' brilliant. Whether he's creating an infectious mix of unforgettably dope tunes or using his razor-sharp mental skills to examine the intricate complexities of a particular track, this man comes about as correct as it gets. Be sure to explore the mind (and record collection) of this genius even further by paying a [...]
Lately I've been waxing nostalgic about the origins of this site, and more importantly, the roots of my love for soul music. Doing the guest blogger series (which is far from over) has fostered an even greater appreciation for the mutual respect and sense of community that now surrounds me from music lovers all across the globe. At times it seems like a tremendous amount of work to keep this whole operation running smoothly, but at its fundamental core, making Souled On happen has always been a labor of love. It's something that I genuinely enjoy [...]
My pal Vincent from Fufu Stew may still be relatively new to the blogging game, but it seems as effortless for him as if he'd been doing it for centuries. Focus, skills, and delicious ingredients combine to create magical recipes that he serves up in generous helpings to his many voracious readers. In fact, he creates such a cornucopia of delectable concoctions that he has enough for leftovers and some scrumptious Fufu Snax . If you hunger for a variety of tasty musical selections, Vincent [...]
The next guest blogger at the plate (you know---the metal one in your head) is Satchmo . Young Satch may not require an introduction so much as a black label warning. He's a little rude, a bit borderline psychotic, and well...funny as hell. He's the deranged lil' cousin who hangs out on the couch in the Souled On family attic---the Ol' Dirty Bastard of my online crew who turns up periodically when the cops are busy eating donuts. He recently dropped by with some crackalicious Dilla samples that he [...]
"Im Sad About It" --- Lee Moses It may seem a bit overstated to refer to Lee Moses as one of my absolute favorite soul vocalists considering that he only released one full-length LP and a handful of singles during his entire career. However, Time And Place is an album of such magnitude that it offers more exceptional material than most artists could manage to produce in a prolific lifetime of recording. For many years , Time And Place (originally released on Maple Records) was such an obscurity that even the [...]
Ladies and gentleman, today's guest blogger of distinction is DJ Blueprint , also known as Mike from this is tomorrow . Mike has an extensive record collection that sometimes makes me more than a little jealous, so I can almost guarantee that you'll be diggin' his site like a fat soul child loves cake. He's currently celebrating his first anniversary in the blogosphere, so make sure you drop by his spot and wish him a happy birthday. I also just submitted a mix for his blog party, [...]
"It's Over" --- Eddie Holman (Sampled on "Nutmeg" by Ghostface Killah/RZA ; "What You Gonna Do?" by Puff Daddy ) Dig deeper... "Mariya" --- The Family Circle (Sampled on "Like Father, Like Son" by The Game/Busta Rhymes ---produced by Buckwild ) Dig deeper... "Our Love Has Died" --- The Ohio Players (Sampled on "B.I.B.L.E." by GZA/Killah Priest ; "Tears" by Da King & I ; "Shout Out" by [...]
In case any of you are wondering why I find Satchmo so damned amusing, let's just say that I jacked this classic photo from his Blogger profile. Dude can make me laugh no matter what the hell I think I'm pissed about at the moment. Y'all better recognize...this kid is the realness. It's been a few days since my last post (in pothead years anyway), so let's hurry up and do this damn thing, soul children... "I Can't Take It" --- Otis Clay Otis Clay 's [...]
Soul peoples in the place to be---it's with great pride that I introduce the first guest writer since Vik came through with "Slang Meets Soul". Call this the beginning of a series if you'd like, but my approach to collaborating with other bloggers is essentially lawless and without boundary. My hope is to periodically break the monotony a bit by surrendering complete creative control to some of the greatest minds on the interweb. The content and theme will be entirely to the guests' discretion, and if this submission is any indication, I think this will [...]
"Four Walls" --- Eddie Holman Eddie Holman often gets lost in one-hit-wonderland, due in large part to the fact that "Hey There Lonely Girl" was his only commercially successful single. While the rest of his discography is often overlooked, Eddie 's smooth-flowing style made a distinct impression on me in the very earliest days of my soul diggin' career. "Four Walls" is an incredible tune from his I Love You LP (1970) that speaks volumes as to why I still consider him an absolute master of soul balladry. If you're a bit [...]
What's goin' down, soul children? I've been agonizing more than usual about what to post today, so I thought it might be the perfect time to stop by some of my favorite spots in the cyberhood. Here's what's good... First and foremost, rest in peace to Bill Pinkney , the last surviving member of The Drifters (8/15/25-7/4/07). Soul Brutha Dave B. and Brown Eyed Handsome Man were amongst those who paid this legendary artist some well-deserved respect. My pal Vincent recently posted the first and second parts [...]
Souled On (Music, Art, Politics, and Life)
Azealia Banks - '1991' [Listen]
Metric Debuts Album via Synthetica Hide+Seek, Tickets On Sale Now For Fall Tour
