Words & Photos By: Brendan Lee
Monday September 2, 2013 – “It feels good to be home,” said the young Seattle emcee as he took to the stage on the final day of bumbershoot. Sol, freshly back from a college scholarship funded tour around the world, adressed the hometown crowd with genuine sincerity. I mean, how could the guy complain? He was playing the final day of Seattle’s biggest arts & music festival, on it’s largest outdoor stage to adoring fans, friends & family. It was a testament to his hard work and commitment to his passion & craft. It was a true positive hip hop moment.
He opened things up, along with his live band The Zillas, with the live anthem Stage Dive from his 2012 Lp ‘Yours Truly’. As mentioned, Sol had just got back from traveling the world courtesy of a Bonderman Fellowship he received from his college years. During his travels, his inability to deny the emcee he his, saw him write and record an entire ep in ‘Eyes Open’ which dropped this Tuesday September 10th. This ep is a reflection of his travels, self learning and experiences.
He went on to do a bunch of new songs starting with his first leak off Eyes Open Jump In and also a love song he wrote in Jamaica called Lost at Sea. The highlight of his set had to be when he dropped his summer melody This Shit to an entranced crowd, hanging on every word, “do you love this shit?,”‘ as the sun settled over the bumbershoot grounds and the space needle stood tall in the back drop. It was a beautiful moment for many, I’m sure.
Although, there was no Grymch, Thignat & Geo appearance in sight for a surprise ‘Spliff (remix)” spot, the young emcee displayed a calm, collected performance, with a braggadocious flare that kept the packed crowd moving to every drum break. He finished off his set with the inspirational track 2020 and said peace to the crowd and moved onto do a meet & greet with his loyal fans.
LINKS:
Bumbershoot Festival’s Website