Juggalos, juggalettes, hip hop junkies, crack head, whoever you maybe! It’s your boy BeZerk, and once again I’m back for another Underground Spotlight as usual. I was hoping to get this one up a week sooner, because you guys have to check this next artist out.

Originally coming from a place that makes the worst parts in America look like 5 star resorts, Soulogik takes his third world experiences and linguistic skills to tell a story through hip hop. Though Faygoluvers’ main roots is in Psychopathic, Strange, Sub, etc. I do like taking my time to listen to hip hop totally outside that realm, and after a friend hit me up with Soulogik, I knew it was something the juggalos would like to check.

Soulogik has worked with several underground artists from around the world (from his own home country of Mozambique, Africa to Brazil, and of coarse America). Soulogik has greats linguistic skills as I mentioned, and his first mixtape Cabin Fever is terrifically put together, full of lyricism, quality, great beats, different tones and themes for each track (i.e. it never gets stale), and there probably are many other good things I could say that are slipping my mind at the moment.

With the quality and content of Cabin Fever, I can only imagine what Soul has in store for his up and coming project called Unhigher Learning. Currently that’s what he is focusing on, and I personally am looking forward to checking it out when it finally drops.

Well juggalos, I know your short attention span (mine as well), so I’ll let you continue on with the interview while I still have your attention. Enjoy…

[Juggalos! And I mean ‘los and maybe some lettes! My next Underground Spotlight is with a model. Be on the look out for that!]

 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aib-je-cI9Y&list=UU_435eb–lXtHmuk4EhEtrA&index=1&feature=plcp[/youtube]

 

Artist: Soulogik
From: Fairfax, VA, originally from Maputo, Mozambique
Rolls With: Inverse Tangent

BeZerk: Why did you choose the name Soulogik?

Soulogik: The name derives from the combination of the words ‘Soul’ and ‘Logic.’ The ‘Soul’ part of it refers to the human element, so to speak – emotions, the 6^th sense, etc.  That’s the element that drives our initial reactions to the outside world. The ‘Logic’ part is the more mathematical element which is based on facts, rationalization, and analysis. It’s the part that asks all the questions “why this? Why that? And how?” I can be pretty emo at times too (laughs), but there’s always a deeper thought that follows; hence that combination leading to Soulogik.

Soulogik: My first answer to that would be Nas. I always saw Nas as a keen street observer much like myself. And although I wasn’t one to be too caught up in the violence and craziness I witnessed growing up, I definitely took notes. And when I heard Illmatic, I felt like that’s what he was doing. But I think outside the box, so my inspirations often change with my moods – one minute I’ll be inspired by Nirvana, Staind, then Tech Nine, or some random rapper from the Portuguese world.

 

 

Soulogik: I’ll go with Cola flavor which I mix with a little liquor when I feel like zoning out.

 

Soulogik: I have been writing lyrics for over 20 years now. But the actual recording started in like 1999, so I’d say about 13 years.

 

 

Soulogik: When people talk about the hood and all, sometimes I think “man, you need to see what it’s like in Africa?” Some of the conditions my family members live in are terrifying. We have unpaved, littered roads, dangerous streets with crazy, naked, homeless dudes running around attacking whoever they feel like, skinny and underpaid police officers who avoid fighting crime (laughs), and the blatant corruption that’s undeniable to most people living there, so it’s crazy to me that sometimes I’m here in America taking what I have for granted. Especially being in Fairfax, I feel a security I never felt back home.

 

Soulogik: I think I am unique because of my up-bringing. Although a lot of rappers travel and see the world when they become successful, I’ve lived in many parts of the world for over 5 years at a time, thanks to my father’s line of work. So I’ve come across many different people, many different cultures, and many different lifestyles from good to bad. I’m also a very secluded individual who spends a lot of time researching stuff and trying to understand people better. I’m not like a lot of artists who are just out there begging for attention, I’m just in the mix taking notes.

 

 

Soulogik: My proudest features at the moment are some of the producers I’ve been able to work with such as Laudz from Brazil, Marcus Banks, and Hermetiko who is an incredible producer from Mozambique. Other than that, I’ve worked with L.E.G.A.C.Y. who was/is associated with the Justus League and dropped an underground classic called Project Mayhem. But I’ve worked with many others who I consider the future of music.

 

Soulogik: I haven’t shared the stage with any really big names yet because I tend to perform in some rather unorthodox settings which I go to by invitation. But I’ve shared the stage with some talented folks in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

 

 

Soulogik: I’m more interested in the underground/independent scene, so I’d love to work with acts like Jedi Mind Tricks, ICP, Immortal Technique, and such, because they create movements which is what I am aiming to create – A movement that empowers people who may feel or appear powerless.

 

BeZerk: You dropped your album Cabin Fever, and you’re about to drop your new project called Higher Unlearning. What can you tell the juggalos about this album and what to expect?

Soulogik: Yea, I’ve been working on Higher Unlearning for a minute now (laughs). You can definitely expect a very rebellious, anti-establishment type of vibe from it. I pull no punches on it, and really attack the world’s power structures such as governments, media, education, charities, and others where I am unhappy with them.

 

 

BeZerk: Higher Unlearning is a very unique name to call a CD. Why did you choose to call it Higher Unlearning?

Soulogik: I chose that title to oppose the common use of Higher Learning in the education system by changing learning to Un-learning. I completed enough university years to see that a lot of the history and politics I learned there was backwards. And I always stood up to my teachers like “wait, that doesn’t make sense.” When I told one of my professors she was teaching us the opposite of what I’d previously learned, she said “higher education is mostly about unlearning and developing critical thinking.” And that sparked the title which developed over the years into an all out battle against common ways of thinking.

 

BeZerk: You are directly involved in working with your music from engineering it, writing your own lyrics, etc. What are your favorite parts of doing that, and are or would you be open to working with other artists in their engineering endeavors?

Soulogik: My favorite part is definitely writing the lyrics. I spend a lot of time trying to make sure my lyrics actually communicate something powerful to anyone listening. The engineering part I just picked up to be self-sufficient and have more control of how I want my music to sound. But I’ve become pretty good at it and intend on offering other artists mixing and mastering services when needed as my little side job.

 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se1tpYotDJ8&list=UU_435eb–lXtHmuk4EhEtrA&index=2&feature=plcp[/youtube]

 

Soulogik: I am currently working on 3 EP projects which I plan on releasing before Higher Unlearning – one with the amazingly talented Marcus Bank on the production which will be for sale, and 2 free projects, one with production by UK emcee/producer Dr Lekta, and another with French/Spanish producer Symbo Science.

 

Soulogik: I’m not a tad bit happy with the mainstream – the content is mostly irresponsible and it’s a bad representation of the music I want to be a part of. When people think of rappers, the mainstream guys are generally the first artists who come to mind, so most people expect the same sound (that I stray from) in my music and might not fully grasp what I am trying to do with it. On the flipside, some underground music is not in the right place either, with contents that also sound limited and sometimes lacking direction, but there are a few artists out there I respect for carrying the torch for this music I love like Vinnie Paz, Immortal Technique, and even Xzibit – his last album was crazy, and a few others. And it also seems the appreciation for that raw hip-hop is going overseas. I wish the U.S, being the origin of rap, would still appreciate it like before.

 

 

Soulogik: I am currently in the studio cooking up all these projects and building my buzz, so I’ve kept my focus there and not on doing shows as of now.

Shout outs:

First and foremost I would like to shout out all the Juggalos out there reading this, your team and site. And my partners Philasophikal, Realdeal, Destruck, Elliott Niezel, Dr Lekta, Mr Grimm, Young Z, Marcus Banks, Hermetiko;  and if I forgot to mention you, shout out to you too!

Websites:

• Soulogik.com