I remember it well; it was back in 2000 & 2001 when Braille and Ohmega Watts were working on an album for their church youth group; they brought along an unknown emcee who would go by the name Soul Plasma and would name the group Acts 29 (after the youth group) and call the project Under Exposed. It didn't take long after that project for Soul Plasma to come into his own and release two solo efforts titled Simply Soul and Soul Affect. After garnering acclaim in the underground scene, he was picked up by Beatmart Recordings and now he is officially making his debut under the moniker Soul P with The Premiere.
Always known for his underground street savvy lyrics, Soul P has decided to switch things up with his first major label release. With The Premiere, Soul has shed his underground style and has hooked up with Todd Collins to create a project with a very strong commercial and mainstream appeal. After an uneventful introduction, Soul P kicks off the album with the bouncy "I'm Here" and "Whoa Whoa." Both tracks quickly lay rest to the doubters that may have thought he wouldn't be able to switch things up and have success, and also display his ability to rock a mic and make people want to get out on the dance floor and have a good time. Other songs like "Step Clap" featuring Sharp Skills and "Do My Thang" featuring Wilie Will (another new Beatmart artist) also show off his prowess for making radio friendly songs that are also club ready.
Even with the switch, Soul P stays true to his roots and talks about the ills of society and his desire to bring people up with him. Tracks like "Money More" talk about how so many artists today are in the game for the love of money instead of the love of the art, while songs like "I'm the Street" and "Hey Young Man" talk about bringing people up out of the street life that leads to death & jail. I also love the song "I'm Grindin'" where Soul P put the parable of talents into real form and talks about how we need to grind to make our talents grow.
With the direction of Todd Collins and the rest of the Beatmart family, Soul P really makes The Premiere a memorable project. Now, being familiar with Soul's previous works, I must say that it was a little hard to digest the new style, as I appreciate his underground style; but if this were my first time hearing him, I would absolutely love his flow on this project. Soul P has really stepped up his game and is ready to help launch Beatmart to the next level. I definitely recommend picking up this project for sure.
Release Date: 26 December 2006
Record Label: Beatmart Recordings
Track Listing
1. The Arrival
2. I'm Here
3. Whoa Whoa!
4. Goodness feat. Lisa Kimmey
5. Step Cap feat. Sharp Skills
6. You Make Me feat. TC
7. We Don't Know
8. I'm Grindin'
9. Do My Thang feat. Willie Will
10. You Can
11. Money More feat. Butta P. & Prolific
12. I'm the Street
13. Hey Young Man
14. Hold On
15. Hear My Cry
16. All I Want
