Soulhops newest song/video entitled “soul hop” featuring nasja mone is out now. The song is off his 2021 album “afrodisiac vol. 1 soulxperience”

Can you tell us about your stage name? Does it have any backstory or deeper meaning?

The name soulhop came out of the description for the sound that was created for an artist my partner dj royce and i was working with whose name is “thinkjustinjames”. His album “now or never” we deemed it as soulful hip hop. So we always described it as soul hop. Both of us worked with the engineer to co-mix and co-master each record to ensure its finality. It was during this time that my desire to make records of my own was born. I needed a stage name and soulhop best described my sound.

So is r&b the main genre that you make music in?

Urban music as a whole, which encompasses R&B and hip hop is my primary genre. However, i have done pop records and contemporary christian also.

Is R&B your favorite genre?

I don’t have a favorite genre. I listen to and draw from all genre’s of music both as a fan, and creative.

How old are you?

In the words of blink 182, “what’s my age again”?

How long have you been making music?

I re-arranged “ribbon in the sky” by stevie wonder when i was 9 years old. My piano teacher loved my ability to play, but hated that i couldn’t play it as it had been written. I could play the sheet music when she gave it to me initially. However, she gave me a week to “practice” it. I’d get tired of the way it was written, and add my own elements to it.

Where are you from and where do you currently reside?

I am originally from bridgeport, ct, usa but am based in Tampa, FL.

What is a topic unique to you or your work?

Tampa, Florida (or west central Florida more accurately) is not usually known for R&B music. We have had success with rap artist like 2 pistols, rod wave, and the artist plies has been linked to Tampa. However there have not been any singers that have obtained national or global success. We recently had a jazz artist Nathan Mitchell who recently went #1 in billboard last month. However, the climate is changing on R&B. There are live music events like the one my partner and I created “Afrodisiac Live”. Other events like art & soul and the rhapsody suite in Tampa, and R&B underground in Orlando. These events are giving a platform to singers who would normally only be found in cover bands. “Afrodisiac Live” is where the idea came to DJ Royce and i to move the talent we found from doing covers on stage to original music to be released globally. Both Royce and I are music producers. I took the lead on this project.

So you said the
climate is changing in r&b over there… Is it because like you said,
people are putting on more events out there and giving the artists more
of platform? Did something lead to this or was it the creation of morre
events as a whole that’s leading to this change of climate out in Tampa?

Promoters were trying to create opportunities for people to come listen to live music. So the events that i mentioned were created. I think it’s important to note that because of those events more talent was exposed.

My event afrodisiac live (with my partner dj royce) is the only event that ended up taking talent and actually assembling them onto an album full of original music that we created. Again forging an opportunity give talent national and international exposure.

What’s a notable or favorite collaboration with another artist you can speak on?

My personal favorite collaboration so far that i produced was “take me back” featuring jazz saxophonist marlon boone. The song was arranged by kyle schroder who also played on the song as well. My all-time favorite collaborative song that i did not produce is “nothing has ever felt” by rachelle ferrell and will downing.