Sol (musician)

Sol Alexander Rosenberg (born December 7, 1988[1]), better known as Sol or Solzilla, is an American hip hop artist.[2] In 2012, he released his second studio album Yours Truly, which received critical acclaim and rose to number one on the iTunes U.S. Hip-Hop Albums Chart while also charting on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart.[3] Sol has collaborated with other artists such as the Macklemore, Blue Scholars, Grynch, and The Physics.

Sol
Background information
Birth nameSol Alexander Rosenberg
Also known asSolzilla
Born (1988-12-07) December 7, 1988
OriginSeattle, Washington, United States
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper
Years active2008–present
LabelsZilla Music
Websitewww.solsays.com

Life and career

1988-2008: Early life and career beginnings

Sol was born in a privileged, upper middle class neighborhood of Shoreline, Washington, and is of Russian-Jewish descent through his father and Haitian descent through his mother, both of whom are teachers. He first began rapping during middle school with his cousin Ben Fodor (now known as mixed martial artist and real-life superhero Phoenix Jones), and further cultivated his musical aspirations while apprenticing at North Seattle’s Undercaste Studios.[2][4]

2009-2010: Debut album and Dear Friends EP series

Sol released his debut album The Ride independently in 2009, followed by three free EPs: Dear Friends, Vol. I, Vol. II, and Vol. III).[4]

In 2010, Sol's EP Dear Friends, Vol. II reached KEXP's Hip-Hop Top 10 Chart, and his song "Dear Friends" was included in KUBE's Sound Session Best of 2010.[5] In October 2010, Sol's song "So Damn High" climbed the charts on The Hype Machine, deadmau5, and Kings of Leon.[6] His live in-studio performance on KEXP was covered in the Seattle Times.[7]

Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Sol organized a benefit concert for Doctors Without Borders, generating $7,000.[2]

2011-2015: Global travels, Yours Truly album tops iTunes

Sol graduated from the University of Washington in 2011, and was awarded its Bonderman Fellowship that provided him the opportunity to travel the world for ten months.[8]

On January 20, 2012, Sol independently released his second album Yours Truly, which quickly rose to #1 in the U.S. and #4 worldwide on the iTunes Hip-Hop Album charts, while also landing on Billboard's Heatseekers Chart.[9] Following appearances at Live Nation's Sasquatch! Music Festival, a West Coast tour, and a sold-out show at Seattle's The Showbox, Sol then departed the U.S. in June 2012 on his ten-month fellowship around the globe, which spanned ten countries including Ethiopia, Uganda and South Africa. He returned to the U.S. in April 2013, and during an interview recalling his travels, he described, “It was very tiring both physically and mentally. Day-to-day trying to survive and also big-picture trying to understand what it is that you’re seeing and trying to process that.”[10]

Sol was recognized in May 2013 by XXL in its "Rappers You Should Know" article.[11] Later in September 2013, he released an EP titled Eyes Open.[12]

In 2015, Sol released two new singles, "People" and "Ain't Gon' Stop". Both songs were accompanied by music videos, and served as a prelude to a new album planned for the following year.[13][14]

2016-present: The Headspace Traveler

In February 2016, Sol released two music videos, "See the End" and "Happiness", and announced his plans to release a third studio album titled The Headspace Traveler. The Headspace Traveler was released on March 4, 2016, followed by a tour across the United States and Canada.[15][16]

Discography
Albums
  • The Ride (2009)
  • Yours Truly (2012)
  • The Headspace Traveler (2016)
  • Soon Enough (2019)
EPs
  • Murda on the Mic (2008)
  • Dear Friends, Vol. 1 (2009)
  • Dear Friends, Vol. 2 (2010)
  • Dear Friends, Vol. 3 (2011)
  • Eyes Open (2013)
Singles
  • "People / Pages " (2015)
  • "Ain't Gon' Stop" (2015)
  • "If You Don't Call" (2017)
  • "The Plug" (2018)
Guest appearances
  • Kublakai & Slouch - "Appreciation" from Lights for the Dark Nights (2009)
  • Kyle Lucas & Captain Midnite - "The New Light" from I Brought Dead Flowers to a Funeral (2009)
  • Rockwell Powers & DJ Phinisey - "New Heights" from Kings & Comics (2010)
  • Brothers from Another - "New Easy Lift" from Two Weeks Vacation (2010)
  • Grynch - "All I Wanna Do" from Timeless (2011)
  • Kublakai - "Like It's Out Last Day" from The Basics 2 (2011)
  • Wizdom & Epidemmik - "That's Nice" from Unearthed (2011)
  • KnowMads - "Clarity" from The Knewbook (2012)
  • Grynch - "I'm Good" from Perspective (2012)
  • Brothers from Another - "Pike & Broadway" from Tacos on Broadway (2013)
  • Dave B - "Boathouse" (2014)
  • Amp Live - "The Formula" from Headphone Concerto (2014)
  • K.Flay - "Make Me Fade (Remix)" (2014)
  • Sam Lachow - "Action Figures (Remix)" (2014)
  • Brothers from Another - "Hanging Out" from This Summer (2015)
  • Markis Precise - "Ride or Die" from The Feeling of Flying (2015)
gollark: Stupid "trusted computing"...
gollark: I mean, there's Google "Safety"Net and stuff.
gollark: I think it's partially for DRM-ish reasons.
gollark: It seems like nothing smaller than laptops is safe from user-hostile lockdowns, and even those are getting ARM-ed slightly.
gollark: They might actually break Termux within a version or two.

References
  1. "Growing Pains". Sol. SoundCloud. December 7, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  2. "Sol — The Next Macklemore?". seattletimes.com. November 23, 2013.
  3. "Sol - Billboard Chart History". billboard.com. February 4, 2012.
  4. "Sol's Growing Pains". seattleweekly.com. February 24, 2009.
  5. "Sound Session #291 – Best of 2010". theaudacityofdope.com. December 26, 2010.
  6. "Sol Drops a New Single in the Wake of His Hype Machine Success". seattleweekly.com. November 16, 2010.
  7. ""Trojan" and "Albert Einstein" by Seattle rapper Sol, live at KEXP". seattletimes.com. March 7, 2011.
  8. "Sol Awarded the 2011 Bonderman Travel Fellowship". washington.edu. May 16, 2011.
  9. "Sol - Red Bull Sound Select". redbullsoundselect.com. February 7, 2016.
  10. "Sol Featured in Seattle's City Arts "Jumping Off the Ladder"". washington.edu. November 19, 2013.
  11. "15 Seattle Rappers You Should Know". xxlmag.com. May 23, 2013.
  12. "Sol - Eyes Open EP". itunes.com. September 10, 2013.
  13. "Sol - People (Official Music Video)". youtube.com. March 3, 2015.
  14. "Sol - "Ain't Gon' Stop" (Official Video)". youtube.com. August 12, 2015.
  15. "Sol Announces New Tour, Album & Video Titled "The Headspace Traveler"". goodmusicallday.com. February 12, 2016.
  16. "Sol Uses Crispy New Visuals To Explain The Meaning Of True 'Happiness". uproxx.com. March 4, 2016.
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