Sol Alexander Rosenberg (born December 7, 1988), better known as Sol or Solzilla, is an American
hip hop artist.
In 2012, he released his second studio album ''Yours Truly'', which received critical acclaim and rose to number one on the
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
U.S. Hip-Hop Albums Chart while also charting on
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
's Heatseekers Chart. Sol has collaborated with other artists such as
Macklemore
Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; (formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper and songwriter. A native of Seattle, Washington, he has collaborated with producer Ryan Lewi ...
,
Blue Scholars
Blue Scholars is an American hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington, created in 2002 while the members, DJ Sabzi (Saba Mohajerjasbi) and MC Geologic (George Quibuyen), were students at University of Washington.
The name "Blue Scholars" is ...
, Grynch, and
The Physics.
Life and career
1988-2008: Early life and career beginnings
Sol was born in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, and is of
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
an descent through his mother and caucasian descent through his father, both of whom were public school 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
Phoenix Jones (born Benjamin John Francis Fodor, 1988 in Texas) is an American real-life superhero. Initially wearing a ski mask to intervene in a public assault, Fodor later developed a full costume and adopted "Phoenix Jones" as a pseudonym. ...
), and further cultivated his musical aspirations while apprenticing at North Seattle’s Undercaste Studios.
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'').
In 2010, Sol's EP ''Dear Friends, Vol. II'' reached KEXP
KEXP-FM (90.3 MHz) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Seattle, Washington, United States, specializing in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys for the Seattle metropolitan area. The station is owned by the no ...
's Hip-Hop Top 10 Chart, and his song "Dear Friends" was included in KUBE's Sound Session Best of 2010. In October 2010, Sol's song "So Damn High" climbed the charts on The Hype Machine
Hype Machine is a music blog aggregator created by Anthony Volodkin.
History
Hype Machine was originally a music database created in 2005 by Anthony Volodkin, then a sophomore computer science major at Hunter College.Heilemann, JohCapturing the ...
, deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as Deadmau5 (stylized as deadmau5; pronounced "dead-mouse"), is a Canadian electronic music producer and DJ. He mainly produces progressive house music, though he also produces ...
, and Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill.
The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and gar ...
. His live in-studio performance on KEXP was covered in the ''Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...
''.
Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake
A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...
, Sol organized a benefit concert for Doctors Without Borders
Doctor or The Doctor may refer to:
Personal titles
* Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree
* A medical practitioner, including:
** Physician
** Surgeon
** Dentist
** Veterinary physician
** Optometrist
*Other roles
** ...
, generating $7,000.
2011-2015: Global travels, ''Yours Truly'' album tops iTunes
Sol graduated from the University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
in 2011, and was awarded its Bonderman Fellowship that provided him the opportunity to travel the world for ten months.
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
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
Hip-Hop Album charts, while also landing on Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
's Heatseekers Chart. Following appearances at Live Nation's Sasquatch! Music Festival
Sasquatch! Music Festival was an annual music festival held at The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, United States. It took place on Memorial Day weekend, running for three to four days.
In 2018, it was announced that the festival was ...
, a West Coast tour, and a sold-out show at Seattle's The Showbox
The Showbox (originally known as the Showbox Theater) is a music venue in Seattle, Washington. It has been owned by AEG Live since 2007.
History and usage
Founded in 1939, the Showbox has hosted a diverse offering of music over the decades. Fr ...
, 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.”
Sol was recognized in May 2013 by XXL in its "Rappers You Should Know" article. Later in September 2013, he released an EP titled ''Eyes Open''.
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.
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.
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
David Mazzeo also known as Wizdom, is a hip hop artist based in Seattle, Washington. The emcee has released three studio albums, one mixtape and one EP release. Guests on his music include Brainstorm of Dyme Def, Stef Lang and New Balance(Nate Bu ...
& 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
Amp Live is an American alternative hip hop producer and DJ from California. He was one half of the duo Zion I, but left the group in 2015 amicably. He has remixed works by Radiohead, Tokyo Police Club and Jamie Lidell.
Life and career
Born a ...
- "The Formula" from ''Headphone Concerto'' (2014)
* K.Flay
Kristine Meredith Flaherty (born June 30, 1985), better known as K.Flay, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and rapper. Her debut album '' Life as a Dog'' was released in 2014, peaking on ''Billboard''s Heatseekers Albums chart at No. ...
- "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)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sol
Musicians from Seattle
American hip hop musicians
American rappers of Haitian descent
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Rappers from Washington (state)
1988 births
Living people
21st-century American rappers