Blac Soap

BEST ROMANTIC RAP SONG BY A LOCAL ACT: “French Vanilla,” Blac Soap
Critics' Picks


“Don’t throw our love away” goes the irresistible hook over a laid-back, synthy beat interspersed with Day-Glo squiggles that makes it sound like something by Outkast or Cee-Lo Green. Verses include such long-stem-roses-worthy lines as: “Searching for my ghetto Mrs. Cinderella/ Crazy about this gal named French Vanilla/ I broke her heart, tried to glue it back together.” The track is by recently formed Tampa rap duo Blac Soap, one of the most refreshing hip-hop acts to emerge on the scene this year.

http://tampahappenings.creativeloafing.com/gbase/BestOf/BestOfAwards?Award=oid%3A180409

- Creative Loafing

The band: Blac Soap features Seif (pronounced "Sife") Bushrah and Reginald Ferguson. They perform as Seif and Fly Beads.

A decade together: The duo met through a friend 10 years ago at a Tampa mall. They started freestyling there, drew a crowd, and have been collaborating since.

Sound and style: Hip-hop with danceable beats and catchy sing-along choruses, including electric guitar, bass and keyboards. The songs have messages, but the duo doesn't take itself seriously. Live shows are wildly animated and involve audience participation.

Seif: "We started as hip-hop and evolved as we got more mature in our music and hearing a variety of music. Hearing the beauty of rock and funk bands, we started incorporating those styles . . . and also growing as people. That's what makes the music."

Fly Beads: "We draw on music from every genre, punk rock to the '80 to the '70s to the '60s to Buddy Guy to the Who."

The band name: Black Soap is a shea butter soap from Africa that has natural ingredients. The duo dropped the "k" and used it to make a statement about cleansing the hip-hop industry.

Ferguson's stage name: Fly stands for "Free Loose Yourself."

The forthcoming CD: Green Music for Blue People is due next month. Green symbolizes vitality and new growth, and blue means universality.

The Band's logo: The silhouette of an African-American pregnant woman represents a life-giving force and pride in being African-American.

Other work: Fly Beads, 29, is also a visual artist. His work will be shown at the Disturbing the Peace Fest on Saturday. Seif, 25, works in customer service at Verizon.

Obvious comparison: Outkast - without the ego clashes. "I don't even call him a friend," says Fly Beads. "He's more like a brother."

Don't pigeonhole them: "We don't want to be classified as that cliche, underground hip-hop act," Fly Beads says.

Words about words: One of the duo's catchiest tunes is Thug Hippy. "Being a thug and being hard is a catchy thing in hip-hop right now, but there are thugs who are intelligent with pure hearts and are about peace," Seif says. "You can be a thug about what you believe in."

Check 'em out: At 7 p.m. Saturday with 30 other bands, DJs and more at the Disturbing the Peace Fest, Cuban Club, 2010 Avenida Republica De Cuba, Ybor City. $15.
- St Petersburg Times

Talib Kweli and DJ Chaps w/Blac Soap, Fri., Aug. 3, State Theatre, St. Petersburg, Doors at 8 p.m. $18/$20 at the door. --WT

- St Petersburg Times