DON SOUL LO

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK | DON SOUL LO

INTERVIEW: TERRELL “REALIFE” BLACK [@REALIFEVMG]

VALIDATED: YOU'RE FROM BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A BOROUGH KNOWN FOR IT'S HIP-HOP, CAN YOU RECALL YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF THE CULTURE?

 DON SOUL LO: MY DAD (WHO JUST RECENTLY PASSED, RIP POP!) WAS A DJ WHEN I WAS YOUNG, HIS NAME WAS DJ DOLLA BILL. HE WAS THE NEIGHBORHOOD DJ. THE EARLIEST RECORD I REMEMBER TAKING NOTICE OF WAS, "THE SHOW" BY DOUGIE FRESH AND SLICK RICK. STILL MY FAVORITE SONG. IT HAS EVERYTHING A GOOD HIP-HOP SONG NEEDS, BEAT BOX, SCRATCHING, AND STORYTELLING. STILL LIT!

VALIDATED: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON YOUR BOROUGH'S HIP-HOP SCENE CURRENTLY?

 DON SOUL LO: WE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE SOME SORT OF RELEVANCE. THE GREATS PAVED THE WAY BUT THE UP AND COMING TALENT IS AMAZING. PHRESHER AND CASANOVA 2X ARE HOLDING US DOWN, WE GOOD!

VALIDATED: GROWING UP, WHAT KIND OF MUSIC WAS PLAYED IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD AND HOW HAS IT INFLUENCED THE MUSIC YOU CREATE?

 DON SOUL LO: SOUL MUSIC, MY MOM LOVED MARVIN GAYE, STEVIE WONDER AND PATTI LABELLE. IT WAS AND STILL IS A HEAVY INFLUENCE IN MY MUSIC. SOUL IS IN MY STAGE NAME. I NAMED MY SON SOUL.

VALIDATED: TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD GROWING UP AND HOW IT INFLUENCE YOU?

DON SOUL LO: I GREW UP IN BED-STUY (BROOKLYN). WE MOVED AROUND A LOT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I HAD TO LEARN HOW TO ADAPT QUICKLY. I SAW SOME VERY BAD THINGS AT AN EARLY AGE BUT THOSE THINGS PREPARED ME FOR THE WORLD.

VALIDATED: YOUR FIRST FULL LENGTH PROJECT DROPS SOON, WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE PROJECT AND WHAT'S THE ESTIMATED RELEASE DATE?

 DON SOUL LO: THE NAME OF THE PROJECT IS "ORIGINAL SOUL". I WOULD LIKE TO DROP AT THE END OF MAY.

VALIDATED: WHAT'S THE LEAD SINGLE? WHY DID YOU CHOSE IT AS THE LEAD SINGLE?

 DON SOUL LO: "FUNKY DOPE MANEUVERS", I CHOOSE IT BECAUSE THE LACK OF BOOM BAP MUSIC I HEAR AROUND. NO SINGING, NO AUTO TUNE... JUST RAW. AND THE DOPE JAMES BROWN VIBE BRINGS ME BACK TO THE GOLDEN ERA. OUT NOW ON EVERY MAJOR MUSIC PLATFORM.

VALIDATED: WHICH PRODUCERS DID YOU WORK WITH ON THE PROJECT?

 DON SOUL LO: SOME CRAZY UP AND COMING YOUNG SNIPERS, YOUNG DEVANTE, FREEK VAN WORKEM AND 84 MUSIC TO NAME A FEW.

VALIDATED: ARE THERE ANY FEATURED ARTIST ON THE PROJECT?

 DON SOUL LO: ABSOLUTELY NOT. THIS ONE IS MY BABY AND I DIDN'T WANT TO SHARE. I WAS SELFISH ON THIS ONE.

VALIDATED: WHAT DO YOU WANT LISTENERS TO GET FROM THE PROJECT?

 DON SOUL LO: ONE, I'M A TRUE ARTIST AND I'M SERIOUS ABOUT MY MUSIC. TWO, HIP-HOP IS ALIVE AND WELL, YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHERE TO LOOK FOR IT.

VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TRACK OFF THE PROJECT AND WHY?

 DON SOUL LO: THEY'RE ALL MY BABIES. IT'S LIKE PICKING YOUR FAVORITE CHILD OUT OF TEN. BUT IF I HAD TO PICK I WOULD PICK "THE OUTRO", IT HAS MY FAMILY SPEAKING TO ME. IT ALWAYS GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS.

VALIDATED: HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU'VE GROWN AS AN ARTIST DURING THE PROCESS OF PUTTING THIS PROJECT TOGETHER?

 DON SOUL LO: "ORIGINAL SOUL" HAS BROUGHT THE TRUE ARTIST OUT OF ME. I FEEL I'M NO LONGER JUST A RAPPER. I WAS FORCED TO SWITCH FLOWS, CADENCES,AND SOUND IN GENERAL.

VALIDATED: WHO ARE YOUR TOP 3 EMCEES OF ALL TIME AND WHY?

 DON SOUL LO: RAKIM BECAUSE HE'S THE GOD MC. THERE ARE 2 ERA'S IN HIP-HOP : BEFORE RAKIM THEN AFTER RAKIM. JAY-Z BECAUSE HE IS AN INFLUENCER, HE CAN CHANGE THE CULTURE IN ONE BAR. NAS BECAUSE IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING HE IS SAYING.

VALIDATED: HIP-HOP, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?

DON SOUL LO: HIP-HOP IS A WAY OF LIFE. ONCE YOU ENTER THIS THING OF OURS, YOU'LL NEVER SEE THE WORLD THE SAME. THE WAY YOU DRESS, WALK, TALK, EVEN BREATHE IS HIP-HOP. IT'S NOT ABOUT MONEY, JEWELRY OR CARS. DONALD TRUMP HAS ALL THAT AND HE'S THE FURTHEST THING FROM HIP-HOP. IT'S A VIBE!

VALIDATED: AS A HIP-HOP ARTIST, WHAT DO YOU FEEL YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO THE HIP-HOP CULTURE?

 DON SOUL LO: KEEP AN EVEN BALANCE OF OLD AND NEW. PAY HOMAGE TO THE PASS BUT EMBRACE THE FUTURE.

VALIDATED: TELL US ABOUT OTHER VENTURES YOU'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON.

 DON SOUL LO: YOU ALREADY KNOW, I GOT "SOULFUL JOURNEY BRAND" (CLOTHING) POPPING, THANK YOU GUYS FOR COVERING US IN YOUR FIRST ISSUE. THAT WAS A GREAT LOOK. I ALSO JUST PARTNERED WITH MY GUYS ANT AND ABZO TO OPEN A FILM COMPANY CALLED "BOKEH VISION FILMS". OUR FIRST PROJECT WAS MUSIC VIDEO/MINI MOVIE FOR SEEDXNOTTZ (HIP-HOP ARTIST) CALLED "PRETTY LITTLE LIAR" FEATURING TIYE PHOENIX. GO CHECK THAT OUT ON YOUTUBE.

VALIDATED: WHERE CAN THE READERS SUPPORT YOU ONLINE AND SOCIAL MEDIA?

 DON SOUL LO: INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER @DONSOULLO AND ON THE WEB AT WWW.SOULFULJOURNEYBRAND.COM.