To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the their mixtape, Soulfrito, hip-hop duo Ol’Souls released a vlog, providing insight to some of the most personal aspects of the inventive project and of course, some humor. The first episode of the series, entitled “The Good ‘Ol Days”, touches upon their experiences with poverty and the desire to spark a legitimate social movement, with music serving as the conduit.

If this happens to be your introduction to Raw (who does the rapping) and Tayo (who does the harmonizing), Soulfrito is a must listen, with a sort of equable vibe continuous throughout the entire mixtape. Though both artists have had their share of living below the poverty line (acknowledged on “Broke Nikka”) with emcee Raw’s mother supporting their family on a McDonald’s minimum wage and Tayo being homeless, the twosome display their sense of humor on “Yerba”, as they offer a catchy spanglish hook that references language barriers and Selena’s classic “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”.  Another immediate stand out, is the funky “Closure”, where ‘Ol Souls sound like Bruno Mars on that muddy water and confidently croon “He won’t be your last, I can guarantee/ so take my hand and follow me/ Don’t wanna be your man, I wanna set your free/ I’ll be your closure, if you let me take control”.

They offer no hot local dance to emulate, no ascending, theatrical beats and above all no confines of a hardcore image to uphold. Between their records and the newly released vlog, one of the most impressive aspects of the team is the freedom they exhibit from not having to posture. For the entirety of Soulfrito, they provide dope rhymes and melodic hooks over feel good, mellowed instrumentals. Raw also demonstrates that he knows a simple beat allows him impressive cadence switches and the ability to ride the music in different ways.  With music and ideas being so easily accessible, coming up with a formula to resonate in the game and appeal to the masses—while doing you’re own thing and maintaining an ingenious sound for the sake differentiation—is a rare thing to possess.

Having this formula and being able to execute it, is damn near impossible.  Ol’ Souls appear to have accomplished this feat so, take a moment to celebrate their mixtape  anniversary and be sure to check out their Soundcloud for more.

The post The Ol’Souls Celebrate The One-Year Anniversary of “Soulfrito” With EP 1 of “The Good Ol’Days” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.