In a noisy lobby at the Universal Motown office, Solo for Dolo’s nervous excitement is thick in the air—and rightfully so. He just independently released his first full-length album, The Truth for the Youth, and is gearing up for promotions, performances, and of course prime real estate in your personal music collections. I had the opportunity to chat with the up and coming artist for what I later discovered was only his second live interview. At just 21-years old, Solo’s maturity and poise is present both lyrically and in person, as he discusses his message, his motivation, and what’s missing in today’s music industry.

So tell me about the album. Almost all of the songs seem autobiographical, and most are pretty intense and very real. Where were you in your life when you began the project, and how did your life play a role in the music?

The album started with two tracks, “Glass House Theory” and “Black September.” I did an EP for Black September, and I pressed like 500 copies. I was going through a really crazy time while I made that album. I’d moved back from Brooklyn after being in a group for a while, and I was just going through a lot of changes. The old comfort zone that I was in was completely re-routed. I was in a position where I was really uncomfortable with my surroundings, so it was from that perspective of just not knowing where you’re going with anything and just trying to get your life together.

I was starting to see a lot of my friends back from my hometown really getting messed up on drugs and stuff like that. I was breaking a lot of those connections and getting into a new world, and I think you can hear that between those two bookends on the EP. Once I really got the feedback to make a new project after that EP, I wanted to show more of my older style, which is in the battle rap realm. So I focused on making more music that was going to bring a positive message out there that I didn’t think was being heard.

You mentioned you were in a group, and now you’re literally solo. How’s that transition been?

I started as a solo artist, and we accidentally became a group. We were just gonna do a project together. I think we had a good run with everything we were doing, but I felt that I had to speak my story. I had to go back to doing my own music again.

Speaking of your story, you make a lot of commentary in your music, which I was surprised to hear for someone so young. Are you prepared to take on the challenge of actually being “The Truth for the Youth?”

I’m game for it. I notice myself being more levelheaded than a lot of the people I grew up with that are in my same age group. For the most part, I’ll see my friends who are in college and it’s nothing but drugs and alcohol. I think people of all ages need to wake up, not just my generation. I’m not sure if I was particularly supposed to be that type of person, but I’m awake enough and I got a microphone, so I’m gonna just say what I can.

And do you think music is what got you to this point—away from the fate of all your friends?

Definitely. I listen to the words of the rappers I was growing up to. I grew up on The Roots, I grew up on Gang Starr. When I heard Guru talking about lines like in “Moment of Truth,” you just heard a realness and it spoke to everybody universally, but I don’t think there’s ever been a voice from my side of the tracks. There’s a universal message in the music, and I think I picked up on that as a kid. I wanted to make music that spoke volumes instead of just making flash in the pan B.S.

What do you think is missing from music today, and what void do you think you’re filling?

I think what’s missing in today’s music industry is a fair balance. For commercial hip-hop, you really only have labels promoting certain types of acts, and only promoting party music. They got Asher Roth who’s like the epitome of Lil Wayne, but he’s for white kids. It’s the same thing. He’s not saying anything that needs to be said, and that’s kind of ridiculous how in a post-9/11 world nobody’s speaking anything that’s making any kind of important effort. You just have a bunch of “Yo, check out my Louis Vuitton bag,” and these [lyrics] are from “conscious” rappers. Just look at Kanye West. He came in with that b-boy element, but where is it? He lost it. So, I’m trying to deliver something that’s gonna be a little bit more effective than talking about what I’m wearing. I hope I’m bringing it.

Do you think creating music with a message is a blessing or a curse when it comes to building a following and gaining recognition? Do you think putting out a message will destine you to be this underground dude forever, and are you ok with that?

It might not be a bad thing because I’m just being myself. I’d feel like a sucker if I was just making some other person’s life story to sell to everybody. I’m happy with the people that give me respect, listen to my message, and hit me up like, “Yo, I’m really feelin’ that. I think what you’re doing is great.” I would rather be surrounded by like-minded people, as opposed to cramming myself to fit in. That’s like playing some high school stuff, and I never really played that. I was always kind of the odd person out—always—because I was too hip hop to fit in with my white friends, but a little too white to fit in with my friends in the hood areas. It was like I grew up in two different neighborhoods, so I walk a weird balance anyway. I’m just used to it.

You’ve been on the grind for a while now, and you still have so much time ahead of you. What kinds of challenges have you been confronted with? Are your knees sore from trying to kick down so many doors?

[Laughs] My hair’s starting to thin out at 21, so that’s a great sign. Yeah, I mean, I don’t know how it happened to where I was this motivated with music. I was always into music but hip hop spoke to me the most, and I had to rap. It definitely held me back in the beginning because I never had the ability to go into the nightclubs and see a lot of the battles going down, but through that I was able to meet people because of my age. I was 14 when I linked up with Domingo and QN5 Music, and Domingo is an established producer. He’s done stuff for Big Pun, Kool G. Rap, KRS ONE, and dude just embraced me from the beginning. I had joint produced with him by the time I was 15, so I must be the youngest person he’s ever done a track with. In the long run, I think that’s a good thing. I think that the 11 years that I’ve thrown in on the grind has proven that I’m not here to make a quick buck and then bounce. I’m here to put something in.

Tell me about the process of making the album.

It was crazy making this album because of how many phases it went through. Two of the tracks were on the EP I did, and then I started recording bits and pieces of the album, like “Crown Royal,” and at the same time I was working on my group’s second project, which we indefinitely canned. It wasn’t until after that that I really focused on [The Truth for the Youth]. So, for about six months I was just BS’ing around, then toward the end it started flowing and I realized I had a finished album, so it was like, might as well put it out.

Then I contacted Domingo. He’s the main producer on the album, and he went over a mix and master and gave me a lot of input. He was really feelin’ it and really wanted to get behind it, and it was originally going to come out on his label, but due to a lot of constraints I wanted to put this out on my own. So, I jumped back in the lab, got a finished mix, got it mastered, and just put it out digitally. I’m setting the wheels in motion, but this is definitely going to be a workhorse of an album that I intend to get a lot of use out of over the next year or two.

What’s the next single?

The next single right now I’m really debating, but I think it’s gonna be “Babycakes.” I like that song. The first time Chris sent me the beat I heard it and I was debating on whether or not I should use it, ‘cause it was such a light element, but then he sent me the hook. As soon as I heard that, [the vocalist’s] words just really motivated me to do a story. A lot of people would go a pop route, but I heard Kool G. Rap on that song just because of the drums. So I just spit it rapid fire and I spit a story, and I’m happy with how that turned out.

What’s your favorite song on the album?

It changes so much. One of my favorites is “Ain’t No Love.” It’s one of the oldest and one of the newest songs at the same time. The first verse I wrote while I was in Brooklyn before I even knew I was gonna make a solo album. I wrote the first verse after I broke up with a girl. It turned out sounding more political than a breakup song.

[Ironically, Asher Roth’s video for “I Love College” starts playing]

Oh my god this guy came on. He’s on Universal Motown ain’t that amazing? I’m gonna find the person who signed him, you wanna join me in that? Yeah, but “Ain’t No Love,” I finished the track, and I didn’t even have the beat when I wrote that. Then I found the beat, and the first verse flowed with it, then I had to finish up the second verse. I’m happy with it.

How do you see your music progressing over the years? How do you envision your sound evolving?

My flow has evolved. I’ve learned a lot of basic principles as far as vocal delivery and performance and I’m still growing as an artist, so I don’t know. I have no idea what the next record will sound like. I’ve already been going over things in my head of what I’d like to accomplish. I’m just trying to make music that you wouldn’t expect to hear.

Any closing thoughts?

Don’t eat a hotdog before an interview.

“The Truth for the Youth” is available now. Go to SoloForDolo.com to hear more.

In the meantime, check out the video for the first single, “You Can’t Say This on Demo Tapes”:

You Can’t Say This on Demo Tapes from Solo For Dolo on Vimeo.

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