The Quit Your Dead End Job Tour!

The Sol.Illaquists of Sound live at 7th St. Entry


If you haven't heard of these guys yet, you've officially fallen the fuck off. Allow me to save you from such a cruel fate. Above are the Sol.Illaquists of Sound, a powerhouse of positive energy from Orlando, Florida, where they have all quit their dead-end jobs and now run an organic, vegan co-op out of the house where they all live. In the past, they have applied to be legally recognized as a family and were denied, but this love and communal cooperation shine through in their music and performance.

Last night, I saw them live for the fourth time since meeting them at the 2004 Twin Cities Celebration of Hip-Hop, and they were in top form as always. Solilla played Downtown's 7th Street Entry as part of their Quit Your Dead-End Job tour, also featuring Prolyphic (recently signed to Sage Francis's Strange Famous Records), X:144 and SPS (a badass emcee/deejay team from Orlando) and Glue (a New Hampshire crew featuring emcee Adeem, deejay DQ, and beatman Maker). The tour, which hits South Dakota next, is a celebration of life from artists who have taken control of their own destinies and who practice what they preach.

First up was Prolyphic, who rocked over beats he made himself. He brought passion and energy to his set despite the early show lethargy of the majority of the crowd. However, there was a core audience of about six kids who had driven up from Chicago just to see the Rhode Island artist again. Prolyphic is an up-and-comer that you would do well to keep an eye on. Check him out at Strange Famous Records or on MySpace.

Up next was the formidable X:144 and SPS, who cuts and scratches it up old-school, with no laptop, as does deejay DQ. X:144 is a smooth, quick-tongued emcee who could go toe to toe with Solilla's Swamburger. Here is the breakdown of the crew, in their own words:

Choice of weapons: 2 turntables and breath control. Defense Strategy: To loop revolutions message of peace, love and harmony over tons of vinyl from mom's record collection to whatever else is funky, then call it hip hop.
X:144 and SPS constantly take listeners on journeys of self-discovery and attempt to ignite a true passion for hip hop in the souls of music lovers everywhere in the world. As a child of New York where hip hop was born, X:144 found his roots deeply planted within the art of storytelling at numerous open mic nights and between pages of college-ruled notebook paper. SPS saw tiny reflections of his influences like Jam Master Jay, The Colon Brothers and Grand Master Flash burst through the tips of his 16 year old fingers at a local youth center in Berlin, Germany back in the '90s and now has finely tuned his craft in turntablism where he has created his own special sound. Alone, they are threat but when on stage together they become lethal. In 2005 X:144 and SPS decided to join forces and take the world on in the all Nonsense approach.
Between X:144 and SPS, the two of them have a list of accomplishments such as SPS's win as the 2005 DMC SouthEast Regional Champion. X:144 has been awarded as Orlando Music Awards best hip hop solo and producer of the year in 2003. They have also performed with the masters of the game such as KRS-One, De La Soul, and Sage Francis.
The new generation of hip hop has been waiting for a breathtaking and life altering combination such as this. X:144 and SPS have been ready and holding the match. Now its their time to set the world on fire!

The above is no bullshit, y'all! Together with Solilla, these cats are the future of hip-hop. No disrespect to the other artists, who were dope as well, but these two crews are trailblazers while still staying true to traditional ways. SPS's turntable stylings were a highlight of the show, and X:144 brought the energy level up in the house immediately upon stepping on stage. Check these cats out! at: Their official website or on MySpace.

Glue, who are apparently all staying at the home of local emcee P.O.S., who was in attendance along with his Doomtree cohort Cecil Otter, took the stage next and kept the energy level high. Adeem won me over immediately by performing an a capella "remix" of Tenacious D's "Fuck Her Gently," and his goofy but soulful stage presence, dope rhymes and energy kept me captive. DQ and Maker held it down on the beats, collaborating at one point on a "drum solo" that brought the house down. Check out Glue at their official website or on MySpace.

At the end of Glue's set, Adeem proclaimed that Solilla would melt off the faces of the audience, and they did not dissapoint (they never do). If you're wondering what their name means, peep what they themselves have to say on the matter:
solillaquist of sound (soul il e kwist uv sah oo nd) n. 1 a play on words describing an individual whose efforts in searching for ones self reveal his/her soul to an audience often through some type of art medium. 2 One who recognizes his/her self and the reflection of self in those around them. See also Swamburger, Alexandrah, DiViNCi, Tonya Combs, and Charles Wilson, III...

The only one of the above who does not perform live with the group is Charles Wilson, III (aka CW3), who makes the keyboard melodies mixed and mangled live by DiViNCi, the group's "MPC-jay," who now plays three MPCs (drum machines) live. At various points in a Solilla show, you will see this crazy motherfucker use his entire body on these machines - hands, elbows, feet and even face. He also cuts and scratches, using feedback and static. Dope. As. Fuck. During his extended solos, the rest of the group often kneel before him, creating sacrificial flames with their hands. Observe:


Lead vocalists Swamburger and Alexandrah God (both to the right in the above picture) have an excellent rapport together, as well as with the rest of the group. Part of this comes from the fact that they are married, as are DiViNCi and Tonya Combs (to the left above). Seeing this group perform is almost like being a part of their family, especially for die-hard fans such as myself who experience their art on a daily basis (Swam also does all the artwork and illustrations for the group's albums, T-shirts and promotional materials).

To describe Solilla's music is not easy, so I hope you will all check them out for yourselves at the links below. They have actually coined the name of their own genre: FAHEEM, which stands for Funk Astral Hip-hop Electrically Energized Message. The music is largely electronic, funky and energetic, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that these people are all from another, more beautiful planet. But above all, it is Hip-Hop, as it should be; a bold new direction in Hip-Hop, but undeniably conscious of what has come before and how it has effected what Hip-Hop is today, while simultaneously reaching for and attaining a wildly original new style of their own.

It is this originality, as well as the insanely high energy of their performances, that caught the eyes and ears of independent Hip-Hop guru Sage Francis, with whom Solilla has toured with twice, as Sage's opening act and onstage crew. Now that Solilla is headlining their own tour, and recently signed to Anti- Records with their new album As If We Existed dropping today, there is little doubt in my mind that you will be hearing a lot more about them in the near future.

But you really must see them live to understand the greatness of the group. There are still several dates left on the tour, which you can check out here.

Also, be sure to peep Solilla's music and art on their site or on MySpace.

I think the measure of a good show of any musical genre is if you can go in in a shitty mood and leave with your faith in life and humanity restored, with a smile on your face (hopefully with a lot of sweaty, wild dancing in the meantime). The Minneapolis Quit Your Dead End Job show delivered on all fronts. It was the best show I've seen since ... well, since the last Sol.Illaquists show. I highly recommend catching this tour, even if it means a long road trip.

-EZRA