Interview: Born Soul

AHHS recently got a chance to sit down with Born Soul, who's come from an 80's back-up dancer to MC. Read on to find out how he's lookin' to set trends and make Austin hot.

AHHS: Can you give your fans a quick bio of yourself?

Born Soul: I started out in the game as a back-up dancer for a few local groups back in the late 80’s. I bought my first beat machine in college and began making beat for cats at school. I made my first record when I graduated. It was called “Guiding Light.” While playing my demo at work for a co-worker, Harold “NASA” Green (now one of my business partners) heard it also and offered to finance my first project. From that day forward, we have been rolling.

AHHS: Which is your latest CD? and how do you think it differs from your previous works?

Born Soul: My latest CD is called “Relax the Mind and the P Comes Free” which was release in December of 2007.A First, it took me 2 years to record this album. I spent a year just observing, listening and asking questions (mainly ladies). I wanted to take sometime and find out what the listeners actually wanted to hear.

This Relax your mind project differed from my previous projects because I actually had a plot. Unlike the other albums I made this one with different scenarios that women and men could relate to. From all the feedback I am getting, kids love it as well.

AHHS: What gives you inspiration and how does that transpire into your music?

Born Soul: The earlier artist like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Gang Star, Ed OG and the Bulldogs, The Dogg Pound, and Outkast all have inspired me in different ways. These groups inspire me mainly because all of they brought different styles and flavor to the table and they kept in hip-hop and no gimmicks. This is what I do; I bring something different to the table, NO GIMMICKS.

When making my music, I incorporate all these different styles (the groups above) into one. When I get up out of bed at 3:45am to notepad a beat or lyrics so to speak, it always excites me to hear what the end results are going to be and to see the looks on my partners faces when they hears what I created.

AHHS: Which artists inspire you the most? and why?

Born Soul: A Tribe Called Quest and OutKast inspire me the most.

I’m inspired by Tribe because of their creativity and the way the forced people to expand their minds and enjoy good music.

Outkast inspires me because they keep it funky and creative. They also create life music which is what I do. From what I am told from various listeners, fans, and critics, my vocal sound is a lot like my mainly man Andre 3000. When I first heard of this I panicked because I didn’t want people to think I was biting his style. I even tried to change my vocal sound, THAT DIDN’T WORK. I just take that HUGE compliment and run with it.

AHHS: What has kept you from moving to cities with larger markets? especially since it's only been recently that Houston has blown up.

To keep it funky with you, I haven’t moved because first, it is too big of a risk to jump and move. Also, I felt this would be a great challenge for me to put Austin on the map as far as hip-hop is concerned. It has not been easy and we are still struggling but we are making some noise and people have heard of Born Soul so that good. I think the only major hip-hop artist that has come out of Austin is “Poppa Chuck” back in the early 90’s.

AHHS: How do you see the scene locally? and where do you see it going?

Born Soul: In my opinion, there is no scene here locally. The reason there is no scene is because the artist that are trying to do something are just copying or piggy backing what is already hot. To have a scene you have to set trends. When you set trends, that’s when your area or city becomes hot. There are no trend setters here locally, only followers.

Until someone, like me, breaks through on a national level, the scene will remain the same here locally, DEAD.

AHHS: What is your favorite venue to perform at? and why?

Born Soul: I loved performing at Club Parish. The audience really was into the music. A few people even knew my lyrics. I really haven’t performed at a lot of venues because it is so hard to get on the bill, even as an opening act. I am currently trying to change that by making sure my music quality speaks for itself along with the other administrative stuff that goes with it.

AHHS: Can you give us 3 of your most favorite local artists?

Born Soul: Well, Houston and Dallas are as local as I can get. Scarface, Slim Thug, Mike Jones is ok. Dallas has a few artists that are pretty good but I can’t think of their names. I haven’t heard anything worth wild coming out of Austin.

AHHS: What is the best piece of advice that someone in the industry has given you?

Born Soul: Keep doing what you are doing musically. The key is breaking through the scene locally. Don’t give up, stay persistent.

AHHS: And a more light-hearted question: Have you seen a correlation between your level of success and quality of hoes?

Born Soul: No, not yet…….I can still walk through the mall with no problem. When they start closing down stores for me then I can answer this question a little better.

AHHS: Any parting words?

Born Soul: Enjoy my earlier projects and my latest album “Relax the Mind and the P Comes Free.” I just want to be heard. Look out for my new album in the spring of 2009. I can’t stop and won’t stop.