Original Soul
Dallas, Texas, United States | SELF
Music
Press
From the creative spirit of Original Soul comes the album Pure: Reflections Of Self And Beyond, dedicated to bringing rap back to the essence with a blend of hip-hop and soul. Pure… is a poignant album full of expressive lyrics, raw emotion and subject matter ranging from pressures of being an artist, sex and everything in between. Pure… features production from Entity Starr, Picnic, Jack Nickelz and Original Soul himself. Original Soul opens the album up with the jazzy track “Whatever”. After the intro Original Soul jumps right into the mission feet first and leaves a footprint on the Entity Starr produced “Day Job”. Then on “Work Dat”, which is produced by Picnic, Original Soul excels in setting himself apart from lame derivative rappers. The album takes a left turn from there as Original Soul goes into the sensually titillating “Do It For Me”, a track sure to arouse the attention of its listeners. On “Lookin Back”, the MC offers his audience a nostalgic look at his 17 years in the game while serving as lyricist, singer and producer. Then, Original Soul delivers a couple of smooth, soothing D’Angelo/Andre Benjamin influenced jams, “Relax” and “Grown”. The latter shows Original Soul harmonizing and rhyming about tales of lost young minded individuals. The album is a smooth ride from that point on. Pure… as a whole is a good album. At some points during the album, Original Soul’s style sounds more like spoken word than rap, but it makes for an appealing alternative to commercial raps’ norm. Pure: Reflections Of Self And Beyond is definitely worth checking out. -Remon Johnson, The Urban Advocate - Remon Johnson
From the creative spirit of Original Soul comes the album Pure: Reflections Of Self And Beyond, dedicated to bringing rap back to the essence with a blend of hip-hop and soul. Pure… is a poignant album full of expressive lyrics, raw emotion and subject matter ranging from pressures of being an artist, sex and everything in between. Pure… features production from Entity Starr, Picnic, Jack Nickelz and Original Soul himself. Original Soul opens the album up with the jazzy track “Whatever”. After the intro Original Soul jumps right into the mission feet first and leaves a footprint on the Entity Starr produced “Day Job”. Then on “Work Dat”, which is produced by Picnic, Original Soul excels in setting himself apart from lame derivative rappers. The album takes a left turn from there as Original Soul goes into the sensually titillating “Do It For Me”, a track sure to arouse the attention of its listeners. On “Lookin Back”, the MC offers his audience a nostalgic look at his 17 years in the game while serving as lyricist, singer and producer. Then, Original Soul delivers a couple of smooth, soothing D’Angelo/Andre Benjamin influenced jams, “Relax” and “Grown”. The latter shows Original Soul harmonizing and rhyming about tales of lost young minded individuals. The album is a smooth ride from that point on. Pure… as a whole is a good album. At some points during the album, Original Soul’s style sounds more like spoken word than rap, but it makes for an appealing alternative to commercial raps’ norm. Pure: Reflections Of Self And Beyond is definitely worth checking out. -Remon Johnson, The Urban Advocate - The Urban Advocate
Discography
Discography: Separation (1999); Lesson Plans (2000); Applied Knowledge (2001); Old Man Ghetto (2002); Soul And Blues (2003); Escape From The Outside (2003); Lets Talk About Us (2005); The Glass Album (2007); Pure: Reflections Of Self And Beyond (2009); Life Changing Vol.1: The Voice (2010)
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Bio
Original Soul is a man blessed with a gift to reach into your heart and enlighten your mind with his realism and insight. In a watered-down era of rap music, Original Soul stands out with his lyrical skills and fearless approach to topics rarely discussed by the majority of artists considered "successful". His versatility is unparalleled, easily transitioning between rap and song with comparisons to D'Angelo and Mos Def, although he lists names like KRS-One, Guru, Talib Kweli, The Roots, and Common when asked of his influences.
Three of Original Soul's most popular songs are built around topics that are mostly ignored by today's artists. "Beautiful" is an ode to the respect women deserve, yet rarely receive. The pain in his voice delivers honesty with lines like: "Never gave it a second thought until I seen that black bruise on her arm‌now I ain't jumpin' to conclusions, but if she's fightin' with her man she's losin." Follow that with the tribute "Single Mother" and you will recognize the insightful truth Original Soul speaks. Then he takes the weight of the world on his shoulders as he leads you down the cold streets in his song "Winter Coat" and pleads "Stop passing these people by." He has the rare talent and ability to take a club crowded full of hardcore Hip-Hop heads and have them all singing along to a song that is built around the topic of homelessness. It's funny to hear him tell the story of when he was booed off stage at a High School talent show when you witness the connection he makes with crowds today.
To meet Original Soul is refreshing. There is no gimmick, no flash, and no swagger. He is humble and has a pure personality that is so amazingly unique that the moniker Original Soul is truly befitting. Original Soul is a native of Dallas Texas and has long worked with local artists on many levels. He has produced tracks for numerous artists, along with producing the music score for the Soul Rep Theatre Company's stage play "Noxide Square" (2002) which received stellar reviews from critics for the Dallas Morning News and Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. He has appeared on several mixtapes including "NOMMO: Lyrical Alchemy Vol.1", "Scremix Vol. 1", The 1,000 Mile Dash Series, and "Dude Where's My Shades (M.A.R.Z. Mixtape) vol. 2". He has a long list of credits leading up to the success of the "The Glass Album". His current work, 'Pure: Reflections Of Self And Beyond', is critically acclaimed and sets him apart from normal hip-hop acts with his blend of spokenword, hip-hop and R&B.
Original Soul has a unique sound with subject matter built around topics that his community can and should relate to. Positive with the edge of street sense and honesty‌Original Soul is the truth.
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