Hot on the heels of Chicago heavy hitters like Common, Kanye West and Twista, the latest Chi-Town sensation SoulStice is ready to blow. We caught up with the rising star to speak about his "North by Northwest: Solid Ground" album, his upcoming Wade Waters project and going the independent route in the music industry.
Boombox: Can you tell us a bit about who you are and how you got started?
SoulStice: For those that don’t know me, this is SoulStice checkin’ in. I was born and raised in Chicago, but I’m out in the Washington, DC area now. I’ve been doing hip hop for over 10 years and in the past few years I’ve released three 12” singles and an album internationally. If you haven’t heard of me yet, you will soon!
Boombox: Is it right you work as a U.S. Military Engineer when you're not rapping? Can you tell us a bit more about it?
SoulStice: Yep, that’s the day job! I don’t work directly for the military. I work at a research lab that provides technology for the navy. I have a masters degree in electrical and computer engineering and when I’m not doing hip hop I do a mixture of signal processing and computer programming.
Boombox: What made you choose the name SoulStice?
SoulStice: When you’re looking for a name, the first thing you do is try to find something that sounds cool. That helps you eliminate a lot of the wack names right off the bat! I chose SoulStice because it’s the time of year when the sun is at the height of its path around the earth. The name has implies chasing perfection, constantly being in motion and living and making music from the soul.
Boombox: Who would you say have inspired your music?
SoulStice: I’ve had a lot of influences over the years. Any great music that I’ve really connected with on a personal level has been an inspiration. It drives you to want to create your own music and start your own little piece of that continuing conversation. The people around me inspire my music as well, my friends, family, my wife. It just comes from living life, making observations and putting all of that into my songs.
Boombox: How would you describe your style to someone who hasn't heard your music before?
SoulStice: I make music from the soul. I’ve taken my own path through life and I’ve had a lot of unique experiences and thoughts and I put that all into my music. Music should be real, but it should also be entertaining and fun to listen to, so it’s a balance. Sometimes I just make songs that reflect how I’m feeling at the time. If I’m feeling really confident, I might come off aggressive and cocky on a song. If I’m feeling really introspective, it’ll come off more thoughtful and humble. Life is a complete experience so that’s how I create my music. As far as how the music sounds – it’s bangin’ – but you gotta see for yourself!
Boombox: Your album "North by Northwest: Solid Ground" has been getting a lot of positive reviews. Can you tell us about the album and what people who haven't heard it yet can expect?
SoulStice: They can expect really good music! North by Northwest is a complete experience from front to back. Lyrically it’s extremely solid, emotionally it’s got its highs and lows and musically it’s some of the best production out right now. Between the lines, it’s the story of how I got started and found my voice as artist. Definitely check it out.
Boombox: What are your favourite tracks from the album and why?
SoulStice: Each one is my favorite while I’m working on it so they’ve all been my favorites at one time or another. But looking back on the album, it’s always the most personal joints that stick out. When I revisit the album, I tend to listen to “Free Fall,” “Terra Firma,” “Ebony Sea,” and “The Melody.” But it really just depends on the day.
Boombox: I hear you did a track with former Terror Squad artist Cuban Link, is it on the album and how did that collaboration come about?
SoulStice: Last fall my group, Wade Waters (SoulStice and Haysoos) released the single “Rock Solid” with Cuban Link. It’s my biggest single to date. That song will actually be on the Wade Waters album coming out this fall. Haysoos does a radio show in Washington, DC and he wound up interviewing Cuban around the time Cuban was dropping his album last year. They vibed after the interview phone and that eventually lead to him jumping on our single.
Boombox: You released the album through your own independent label (Wandering Soul), how did that work out and are you looking for a major label deal?
SoulStice: Nope, not right now. What I was looking for was a solid distribution deal for Wandering Soul and I just signed with Raptivism/Ryko for the next few releases, so it’s looking really good. I never really wanted a major label deal. It’s a lot more fulfilling running your own operation and I get to maintain my artistic freedom. I get to make the music I love. When I got started I didn’t want to waste and any time shopping a demo, so I just came right out the gate with an album and took it from there.
Boombox: Have you learnt a lot from going the independent route?
SoulStice: Definitely! I put North by Northwest together with no music business experience and basically learned everything along the way. I was the artist, the A&R, the manager, the accountant, the publicist, the guy selling CDs at shows, basically anything and everything you can think of. When you’re doing everything, you’re bound to pick up a thing or two.
Boombox: Chicago has a lot of big name artists out at the moment - Common, Kanye West and Twista to name a few - who are you feeling in the Chicago hip-hop scene right now and is there any chance of a collaboration with any of the big names?
SoulStice: I like most of the artists that have been surfacing out of Chicago. I’ve been a fan of Common and Twista since forever and I’m definitely feeling Kanye West now too. I like a lot of the newer artists coming as well like Lupe Fiasco. Chi-Town baby, gotta support our own! I’m actually working on a big name collab or two as we speak – but you’ll have to wait for the next album to find out!
Boombox: Who would you like to do a track with who you haven't had chance to yet?
SoulStice: Being from Chicago, I’m still looking forward to doing a joint with Common at some point. I was always a Goodie Mob fan, so doing a joint with Cee-Lo would be dope. I’m very open-minded so I also like to try and do out-of-box collabs. I’d eventually like to do a collab with a southern artist like T.I. or somebody outside of hip hop all together like Stevie Wonder or Don Omar, who’s a Reggaeton artist.
Boombox: What have you got planned for the next 12 months?
SoulStice: A lot! More than I can even get into! Look out for the Wade Waters “Return of the Kings” mixtape this summer and “DarkWater” album this fall. I’m also working on my second solo album which I’ll put out next year.
Boombox: Any plans for a UK/European tour any time soon?
SoulStice: Definitely, I’m working on putting together some dates for this summer.
Boombox: What are you listening to at the moment?
SoulStice: A little bit of everything! I’m always listening to local artists, gotta support local music. Common’s “Be” is still in rotation. T.I.’s new album, and I’ve started getting into a lot of Reggaeton as well, which is Spanish-language music.
Boombox: Any comments or thoughts for our readers?
