Solomon is the kind of artist that can seriously make me like urban music again. With self-penned songs like “Feeling Brand New” which infuses his roots as a hip-hop artist with heavy shades of electronica and pop, Solomon immediately garnered my undivided attention in a time when my inbox is flooded with “notice me” emails.
Take a listen right now to his first offering of tracks on his MySpace page and I think you’ll understand what I am talking about. “Fortune Teller” puts him in a category of Craig David proportions while “Cry Baby” makes me think of a spunkier version of Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me A River”. I caught up with Solomon recently to talk about his current EP project and some of his tracks..
EQ: Tell me a little bit about your hip-hop background…
Solomon: I’m actually in the studio right now working on my new EP. It’s a five track EP titled, “Shades of Black”. I started more as a full on rapper, releasing mixtapes, doing remixes and stuff. I was featured on Eminem’s Shade45 Sirius Radio, did the whole XXL, hip hop magazines and stuff and next thing you know I was thrown into this category that didn’t fully reflect me. Which sucks, but at the same time, I don’t think I’d be where I’m at now if I didn’t have that “gay rapper” label attached to me. So the reason I’ve titled the EP “Shades of Black” is because there’s a lot to me that my audience and critics don’t know. More shades to me. Ya know when someone wears all black and you notice how their shirt, pants and shoes are all different shades of black? It’s crazy. Because you don’t think it’s possible.
EQ: Tell me about “Fortune Teller”…
Solomon: I just re-recorded the vocals to this song the other day and love it. I tend to do that a lot. I’ll record and then hear it a few times and sing it a different way. This was actually the first song I recorded for the EP. It was by accident and it helped me get back into the studio. Because at that time, I came out of a fucked up relationship and wanted to stay home and eat ice cream and watch Animal Planet! But this sick-ass producer from Miami and I got together and came up with a dope sound. The song is about an old lover that you never got over and still wonder what might happen if you got back together. I think everyone wants to know their old flame still thinks of them as much as you do.
EQ: And “Cry Baby”…
Solomon: I was pretty angry when I wrote this. I wanted to actually choke the shit outta this guy. I guess you hate being vulnerable all the time and want the other one to hurt as well. I think after a breakup it sucks seeing how easily that person moves on and it seems they’re not fazed. So you want them to cry.
EQ: I love “Feelin’ Brand New” – you seem to be showing your more sensitive side on this one…
Solomon: I recorded this for my last street mixtape and it instantly became a favorite with my listeners. I’m really bad at writing happy songs, so this documents when I first started falling in love. It was crazy cause I started noticing how much of a softy I became. All my friends knew me as someone who wasn’t affectionate and didn’t do relationships well. So when I started falling for someone it was pretty noticeable. You cant help but change.
Like what you hear? Thought so. Make sure you head on over to Solomon’s MySpace page and download his track “Feeling Brand New”. You’ll be happy you did. EQ will be watching Solomon very closely as we’re quite excited about Solomon and is urban brand of electro-pop. Watch out Chris Brown – there’s a new heartbreaker in town.