Raw

A distinctive sound; fresh, reawakening, and genuine.

That’s what these cats bring to the hip-hop game. Who are they? They are Ol’ Souls, an American Hip-Hop duo based out of Lancaster, PA. They were founded in the early summer of 2014, by members Raw and Tayo, who later released their debut project titled Soulfrito. They give us a laid back, jazzy vibe, infused with neo-soul and rap, while also paying homage to their Latino roots.

Their melodies are pretty ill, even with the crazy auto-tune-like effect on certain songs and hooks. Unlike most artists, they’re using it right, though and it’s definitely not done in the typical “everybody’s doing it” fashion. It really does sound hella dope. With clear poetic inflection, you can’t miss anything they spit. It is indeed attention grabbing. With their slick rhymes and melodic claviature boom bap, they definitely rep their names hard.

“The Souls” aim to shift the hip-hop culture through music and revive the organics of the hip-hop/rap genre. - The Source

L’ Souls have started their own vlog entitled “The Good Ol Days”. The first episode shows there’s a difficult, but inspirational, truth to some of their finest work. When asked which song he considers his most personal, Raw instantly answers, “Broke Nikka,” off last year’s ill Soulfrito mixtape. The 22-year-old MC reminisces on his childhood, and how his mom worked long shifts at McDonald’s for minimum wage. Back then, he recalls just being happy to get Mickey D’s whenever he could, but now that he’s older? “I understand a lot of things like that and it’s like, ‘What the f*ck?’ It’s pretty shi*ty,” he says.

His partner-in-rhyme, the 21-year-old Tayo, can definitely relate. Between cracking jokes about his heritage, he says that the hardest thing he’s faced in life was being homeless. He’d work the third shift at a factory and then sleep for four hours or so in his Jeep, eventually having a breakthrough in meeting Poundz, who’s been their biggest supporter and has always encouraged the two to create great music.

You can watch the first episode of the vlog , which was shot and edited by music photographer Michael Todaro above. In addition, be sure to peep the Ol’Souls Soundcloud to hear more of their material.​ - Boi-1da

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the their mixtape, Soulfrito, hip-hop duo Ol’Souls released a vlog, providing insight to some of the most personal aspects of the inventive project and of course, some humor. The first episode of the series, entitled “The Good ‘Ol Days”, touches upon their experiences with poverty and the desire to spark a legitimate social movement, with music serving as the conduit.

If this happens to be your introduction to Raw (who does the rapping) and Tayo (who does the harmonizing), Soulfrito is a must listen, with a sort of equable vibe continuous throughout the entire mixtape. Though both artists have had their share of living below the poverty line (acknowledged on “Broke Nikka”) with emcee Raw’s mother supporting their family on a McDonald’s minimum wage and Tayo being homeless, the twosome display their sense of humor on “Yerba”, as they offer a catchy spanglish hook that references language barriers and Selena’s classic “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”. Another immediate stand out, is the funky “Closure”, where ‘Ol Souls sound like Bruno Mars on that muddy water and confidently croon “He won’t be your last, I can guarantee/ so take my hand and follow me/ Don’t wanna be your man, I wanna set your free/ I’ll be your closure, if you let me take control”.

They offer no hot local dance to emulate, no ascending, theatrical beats and above all no confines of a hardcore image to uphold. Between their records and the newly released vlog, one of the most impressive aspects of the team is the freedom they exhibit from not having to posture. For the entirety of Soulfrito, they provide dope rhymes and melodic hooks over feel good, mellowed instrumentals. Raw also demonstrates that he knows a simple beat allows him impressive cadence switches and the ability to ride the music in different ways. With music and ideas being so easily accessible, coming up with a formula to resonate in the game and appeal to the masses—while doing you’re own thing and maintaining an ingenious sound for the sake differentiation—is a rare thing to possess.

Having this formula and being able to execute it, is damn near impossible. Ol’ Souls appear to have accomplished this feat so, take a moment to celebrate their mixtape anniversary and be sure to check out their Soundcloud for more. - Respect Magazine