SOULEYE – Hip Hop Medicine
Primary URL: https://www.souleye.net/
Souleye’s musical career began in the trunk of a car. The rapper, hip-hop artist and songwriter was on his way to a party in pastoral New England hill country in a car so laden down with his friends that he and another teen hopped in the trunk. The year was 1996, and Souleye was still Mario Treadway, a high school kid and basketball player who had spent his entire life in the New England backwoods around Sturbridge, MA. In 2009, while on a meditation gathering, he met singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette. They married in 2010 and he opened her 2012 “Guardian Angel” world tour.
The couple have two children, Ever and Onyx Solace, and make their home in Los Angeles. Souleye has a history, but the drive keeps so steady that reinvention has become like a middle name. On “Hip Hop Medicine” there is a full circle effort to expound upon the past and spruce it up nice and new like. It’s a matter of keeping one foot in the past without letting it drag you down, and the Souleye direction seems to be on target that way and then some. They even drop an oldie in the background of this, but who it is by I’m not sure. It adds to the depth of the track with a chorus that won’t quit. If that is their own touch it is a remarkable one of both clever and original proportions, but it’s neither here nor there, as it’s by Souleye and that is all that matters. On subject matter it’s packed with everything from dreams to miracles of medicinal power. It’s a certain zen that you feel, but it is not without some zeal. It’s like having the doctor knock on your door and ask you if you need some musical meds. The beat tracking is spot on precise, so much that you have to wonder how they pulled it off. Well, there doesn’t seem to be any lack of budget, so they obviously work with the best money can buy to get that killer sound to come out. This is a real good single track with a veteran of the industry at the helm. But it’s also a fact that this is an independent act that doesn’t slum for anything. How often do you come across someone this good and you’re not even huge on the genre, yet he is married to Alanis Morrisette. Almost never, that’s how often. So, there is great spirit abound and lots of exuberance to convey from such a soulful artist. After reviewing this it is worth a long look into the past of Souleye and the featured pop and R & B artist that is Dustin Tavella. It’s also not very often that I’m turned onto something so fast. Souleye, Tavella and the producer Crush Effect all together bring a great blend of hip hop and R & B to crunch with. Souleye’s rapping style provides a consistent flow that jives well with the backing track. Souleye has an assortment of subject weaved together and it almost threatens to come out pop, but it never hurts the street level prowess it contains. Souleye’s lyrics are consciously uplifting and continue to discuss the ways to persevere through obstacles blocking your journey through life. Souleye’s music leaves room for interpretation for a psychedelic experience as he touches on religion, meditation, which ultimately just leads to faith. This is one of those artists coming out of nowhere and landing in my lap, for the better. By the end of the track you might want to put it on 3x repeat, because even that isn’t quite as long as this could go on for and still never bore. It’s like a trip into the distant past to find someone who’s been here all along.
By the end of the track you might want to put it on 3x repeat, because even that isn’t wuite as long as this could go on for and still never bore. It’s like a trip into the distance past to find someone who’s been here all along. Very enlightening on the soul when that happens. You can’t deny it, you’ve got to just let it rule you until you’ve had enough for the time being. If this single is good for anything, it’s good for digging into Souleye much more over. That’s one of many a symbol of quality and focused art. As this is one classy rap by a class act as far as I can tell by just one single. Imagine that.
Kevin Webber
Score: 10/10
