Sol
For my first interview in the Homegrown series, I sat down with Seattle emcee Sol to talk about his music, Seattle hip hop and Dear Friends, his newest release.
HG: Word up. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
SOL: They call me Sol (both my mom and my fans). I am 20 years old, and I make good music. I have 2 EPs and a full-length LP out.
HG: When did you first get involved with music?
SOL: I wrote my first rap when I was 10 and recorded my first song in the studio when I was 11.
HG: Who or what has influenced your work?
SOL: Periodically, I first listened to DMX, Tupac and Cash Money when I was a kid. Then when I started understanding what was going on around me I went through a period of heavy digging into my roots w/ groups like Outkast, De La Soul and Dead Prez. Now I listen to any and all good music. Most of it is not rap.
HG: You recently competed in EMP’s Sound Off! 2009, taking second place at the battle of the bands style competition held in EMP’s Sky Church. The house was packed and clearly enjoying your set. What kind of mind set do you take going into a big show like this? Did you feel any pressure representing the local hip hop scene in a battle where a majority of your competition are rock bands?
SOL: Yea, EMP Sound Off was dope. Both the semi-finals and finals were sold out. Just performing at the EMP Sky Church itself was a blesssing, let alone having gotten 2nd place as a solo RAP artist. As far as pressure, I only felt the responsibilty of holding it down for my fans, friends and family that support me. I had ppl driving from Canada, Oregon, even Cali. That was deep. For me, performing is my favorite part of the game. Being able to present my art for somebody and get an immediate response/interaction is unlike anything else. No Myspace or Twitter can replace that feeling.
HG: What experience did you gain coming out of this competition? Will you be competing again this year?
SOL: Sound Off was a great opportunity that not many people get to have. The people at EMP, the other bands, and the fans that supported were great. Their positivity gave me optimism for what the NW scene has the potential to be. As far as this year, we will see. Sound Off was a great thing for my career, but it is only something that I HAVE done, not what my career has been. I plan on doing, and have done much more than that.
HG: These past 6 months have been rather busy for Seattle hip hop. How do you feel about the future of the scene?
SOL: The scene is relatively young compared to other cities that have broken out on the national scene. We still are growing and maturing. I see a lot of talent out here. People will only get better. This is a business, and people (myself included) are finally starting to understand that. Ive been in around Seattle Hip-Hop for 10 years now. I’ve seen people rise and fall. But I see more people out here picking up the mic and doing something beautiful with it than I’ve ever had before. This makes me happy.
Dear Friends, EP
HG: You’ve been rather busy yourself lately. What was the driving force behind Dear Friends, your new EP?
SOL: This EP is some of my most raw, personal work. It is dedicated all the people in my life. Friends, Fans and Family. I am literally talking to my loved ones on this record. I love my family, all my friends, all my fans, and I even love the haters. Thats why this EP is free. Its for EVERYONE! I plan on continuing to do projects like this between my albums. As a way to let everyone know what I’m up to. Because I cant return every phone call, text message, or email. But I can write you an album 
HG: Finally, where does the road go from here for Solzilla?
SOL: To the highest mountain top I can find. I will keep evolving and developing as an artist until I can truly say that my music has changed the world. One iTunes sale at a time 
Sol’s Dear Friends, EP is available for free download at http://www.solsays.com.
Upcoming Shows
Oct 21 2009 8:00P
21+ @ Nectar Lounge SEATTLE
