Sol
Yours Truly
Album · Hip-Hop/Rap · 2012
An up-and-coming emcee out of Seattle, Sol (a.k.a. Solzilla or Sol Says) has been around for a minute and is probably best known for the three editions of his Dear Friends mixtapes. While his flow and cadence is heavily influenced by Kanye, his low-key, everyman lyrics stand out, as does the quality production from Jake One and others. As with Drake and his ilk, a lot of singing is on display here. Many tracks are influenced by the golden era, familiar without being overtly retro. Distinctly un-gangsta, pretty much all the rhymes here are about girls, hip-hop, and the ups and downs of everyday life. Sol's phrasing is tight, the wordplay is compelling, and the beats are on-point from start to finish. Check out "Stage Dive," "Rap Life," "Falling Stars," the freaky instrumental "Budo's Interlude," and the lead single, "2020."