FreeSol is an alternative soul band from

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

History

The name, “FreeSol”, refers to a state of mind - a

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

- with a main objective of never conforming to the usual way of doing things. Armed with this philosophy, FreeSol toured the country playing gigs of all sizes, and competing (i.e., the Mid-South Grammy Showcase, Turner South's My South Rocks competition, The Rock Boat's Grand Championship show, and the BMI Urban Music Showcase).

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

described their sound as "a fusion of rock, hip-hop, rhythm and blues, and soul." The band was formed in 2003 when the lead singer/MC, Free first met Premo D'Anger (keys/bass), Kickman Teddy (drums) and a month after Elliott Ives (guitar/vocals) in a studio. Growing up surrounded by the musical landscape embedded in Memphis’ history, all four of them were influenced by a variety of sounds, from blues to rock to hip-hop and back again. Their influences range from

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but they also like Outkast,

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among others. In 2004, the band released its first album ''11:11'' which was produced by Carlos "6 July" Broady through Memphis Records. In 2006,

, also a Memphis native, saw FreeSol perform at a little jazz cafe in their hometown. Shortly thereafter, he signed them to his upstart label, Tennman Records. Justin Timberlake was soon able to secure them a major deal with

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner ...

. In 2009, DJ Charlie White joined the group. Most recently, FreeSol has been working with a variety of producers such as Cool & Dre (Lil’ Wayne, The Game), Jim Jonsin (Beyoncé, Pitbull), Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, Eminem), Dave Tozer (Jay-Z, Kanye West), and

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

in order to record their debut album ''No Rules''. The album is scheduled for release in October 2011. In August 2011, the music video for the single "Hoodies On, Hats Low" was released. It was directed by Justin Timberlake who also makes a cameo, Aaron Platt and Joe Toman. The song "Don't Give It Away" was used in the end credits of the '' Entourage'' episode "Bottoms Up". Manager Nick Shuly told a video for the song is in the works. In October 2011, a music video for the song "Role Model" featuring Justin Timberlake was released. In addition, the track "Fascinated" which features Timberlake and Timbaland also dropped the same day.

Band members

* Free – lead singer, lyricist * Elliott Ives – guitar, vocals * Premo D'Anger – keyboards, bass guitar * Kickman Teddy – drums * Charlie White - DJ

Discography

*''11:11'' (Album) (2004) *''MasterPiece: A Rize 2 Da Top'' (Mixtape) (2009) *''RocknRolla (Mixtape) (2010) *''No Rules'' (2012)

References

Musical groups established in 2009 American supergroups American musical duos {{US-R&B-band-stub