If you would have asked us back in 2012 who the next rapper to blow from Seattle would be (after Macklemore, of course) we would have told you Sol. His debut album, Yours Truly, really put his talents on the map, but shortly afterward, the emcee ventured out as the lone recipient on a round-the-world trip as part of a fellowship from the University of Washington. His career was effectively put on hold, and it wasn't for two more years that he would drop his follow-up work, the Eyes Open EP. It's been two years since that body of work now, and you could say his buzz on being the next to blow out of has quieted just a bit, but, then again, Sol's not your average rapper, either. He's not chasing that dream of doing something just for the fame or accolades, but rather, through what uncanny sense of patience and appreciation he has, you can tell he's about putting quality music out above all else. Last Summer, he dropped one of our favorite tracks of the year in "Ain't Gon' Stop", and he followed that up with "Growing Pains", which joined it as the first two singles from The Headspace Traveler here. They were a great start to the album, and now with the likes of the introspective, relationship-focused "Done Some Wrong" and "Young Love", the summer anthem-worthy "100 Songs", the quintessential rap anthem "P.O.M", and the turn-up-worthy "C'est La Vie", we can say that he's reemerged as the underground rap prince of the city he calls home. Below, you can check out our absolute favorite from the album. Alternatively, you can stream everything on SoundCloud and/or purchase the work on iTunes now.
Sol