

Much has already been said about Zimmerman's murder of Trayvon martin, the racist jurors, the fact that more blacks are today in prison then were slaves under slavery, Zimmerman's indefensible myspace postings, etc. I don't need to write about that here.  Anyone who has been in public or has a facebook page has gotten a taste of how ugly The United States underbelly really is, and hopefully this can be an opportunity for learning and having frank and honest discussions about race.    

This would/should have been a turning point for people in this country, considering the war on women's reproductive rights happening in North Carolina & Texas, and the recent knowledge that we now live in a surveillance state that surpasses Orwell's wildest dreams. We live in a time where cops break bones and all the media can talk about is "reverse racism" and broken windows. 

What we witnessed instead in Denver(and around the country) were very passive "rallies" organized & watched over by politicians, churches and oddly enough in Denver, the Chief of Police.   These "rallies" take the form of carefully coordinated ventings of frustrations, i.e. "the controlled demolition of rage."  The result is the defense & consolidation of state power, the channeling of anger through safe channels, and thus no real challenge to the power system that locks up, murders, and oppresses those who are not members of the "ruling class."  

This song makes no qualms about the fact that it is coming from the perspective of someone who wishes to abolish the system that oppresses and murders the under-privileged and seeks to disrupt, intervene and block business as usual.  As usual, NY and the west coast went hard, while people in most cities were content to show up, throw some money and a trash bag and get back to work.
 
Shouts out to Occupy Oakland and Denver Anarchist Black Cross for supplying a consistent and critical perspective on this week's events which I borrowed heavily from in writing this song.


Don't Riot

Moodie Black Remix.

http://sole.bandcamp.com/album/no-wising-up-no-settling-down
No Wising Up No Settling Down $5


HTTP://SOLEONE.ORG
https://www.facebook.com/moodieblackmusic

I Think I'm Emma Goldman (Moodie Black Remix)

Who is the real king of NY?  Wall St?  Bloomberg?  Ray Kelly?  Capitalism?  

I've taken up Statik Selektah's challenge to respond to Kendrick Lamar's "King Of NY" statement with a freestyle over the beat he provided.   This song was written and recorded in under an hour.  By my standards, thats not a freestyle, but by modern rap standards it is, so... KING OF NY

THE STOCK EXCHANGE IS THE ONLY REAL KING OF NEW YORK 
BLOOMBERG GOT THE 3RD BIGGEST ARMY ON EARTH
WHERE THE HELL IS COMPTON
JUST ANOTHER PLACE WHERE THE COPS WILL KILL BLACKS
SO FUCK THE PAC AND BIG TALK IF YOU AIN'T BATTLING THE COPS
ALL OF YOUR BASES ARE BELONGING TO US
IN DOLLARS WE TRUST
WHETHER IN THE NAME OF JESUS, BUDDAH ALLAH WE BUST
DOWN THROUGH THE WALLS WHERE OLD EMPIRES HAD FAILED
THE GIFT SHOP AT THE END OF HISTORY, YOU ALL ARE FOR SALE
I AINT THE KING OF NEW YORK, IM THE KING OF THE EARTH
MY KINGDOM IS SPACE 
WHEREVER THERES ATMS OR COLOMBUS'S FACE
DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT KENDRICK LAMAR 
IM DIGGING THE GRAVES
SUBJOGATED THE WHOLE PLANET TO ALL OF MY WHIMS
PATRIARCHICAL SOCIETY YOU ALL ARE MY SONS
THIS CITY’S JUST A BORDER THAT YOU AIN’T EVEN DRAW
FIRST I'LL SELL YOU A NOOSE THEN CHARGE FOR YOUR GRAVE
YOU MIGHT BE THINKING YOU’RE FREE BUT I OWN YOUR DNA


SO TALK SHIT, WE OWN THE LABEL YOU RELEASE IT ON
WE EVEN OWN THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM YOU TALK SHIT ON  
WE OWN THE INSTAGRAM PHOTO OF YOU POSING NEXT TO KANYE
WE OWN KANYE
WE OWN THE NRA 
WE'LL SELL YOU GUNS THEN OVERCHARGE FOR SURGERY
WE OWN THE SPORTS TEAM REPRESENTS YOUR CITY
WE COPYRIGHT LIFE FORMS &  THEN EVICT YOUR NEIGHBOR
WE SELL YOUR UNIVERSITY DESKS MADE BY PRISON LABOR
KING OF NY IM PUTTING TWINKIES IN YOUR LUNCH BOX
IM LAYING OFF TEACHERS & AND HIRING COPS
EVERYTHING IN THIS CITY WAS CONSTRUCTED ON DEBT
ITS HARD TO TELL IF YOU'RE WORTH MORE ALIVE OR IN DEATH 
WE DON'T GOTTA RHYME, CUZ IF WE SAYS ITS COOL, ITS COOL
WE SELLING COOL, WE SELLING YOU YOU SO YOU CAN BE YOU
IM THE KING OF NY, THE MOTHERFUCKING SPECTACLE
THE MERCHANT OF DEATH, YOU ALL ARE MY PRISONERS


King Of NY (Freestyle) Beat By Statik Selektah

Pre-order via indiegogo: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/deathdrive-by-sole-dj-pain-1/x/6400226

DECUPERATION is the act by which capitalist means of production can be re-appropriated for anti-capitalist ends.  

Unreleased track by Sole & Pain 1 that is only available on the bonus EP that accompanies DEATHDRIVE available exclusively through indiegogo.


Sole & Dj Pain 1: DECUPERATION

unreleased demo track we made in 2004 about Israel's occupation of Gaza.

Caterpillars In The Holy Land (2004 DEMO) Feat. Pedestrian

Blood Oath

"Bad Captain Swag" featuring Lil B and Pictureplane from Sole and the Skyrider Band's Hello Cruel World

Pre-order the album on double LP, CD or mp3 bundled with an optional shirt here:
https://www.circleintosquare.com/item/hello-cruel-world

HTTP://FACEBOOK.COM/BIGSOLE
HTTP://TWITTER.COM/MCSOLE
HTTP://YOUTUBE.COM/SOLEONEONEDOTORG
HTTP://FACEBOOK.COM/SOLEANDTHESKYRIDERBAND
HTTP://SOLEONE.ORG

Sole and the Skyrider Band "Bad Captain Swag" feat. Lil B &amp; Pictureplane

From the album "Hello Cruel World which drops 7/19 on Fakefourinc.  Preorder now for $9.99 @ http://www.circleintosquare.com/item/hello-cruel-world

Sole and the Skyrider Band "Progress Trap" feat. Sage Francis

Äiti rakas

The original beat for this song, "Mo Money, Mo Murder" is definitely one of my favorite songs from the 90s.  This beat randomly came on yesterday and I knew I had to make a song about the S&amp;P downgrade to it.  I do my best to try to infuse the ideas of zizek into this song, discussing everything from bankrupt states, ideology, hip-hop, god's wrath, and the economy.  This track will end up on Nuclear Winter 3, which will most likely be 90's themed.

"Living In The End Times" is the title of Slavoj Zizek's most recent book, where he compares the economic crisis with Christian Armageddon.  The book takes a look at modern capitalism, ecology, global warming, and the political sphere and offers many original insights and a few prescripitions.  On this track I take it a step further to also include Beaudrillard's take on "Living in the end times," to conclude that the world ended when media &amp; capital began taking on a life of their own, and we are literally, currently, living out a kind of post human armageddon.  When the recent debate about the debt ceiling was unfolding, I thought about Zizek's take on how events are shaped by abstract factors. I knew that the fact that this debate was happening at all would do untold damage to our economy.  Low and behold S&amp;P downgraded us, so the downward spiral continues and Jayz/Kanye drop "Watch The Throne."  Even though Zizek didn't actually collaborate with me, I thought I'd take a cue from Jay &amp; Yeezy and Otis Redding that shit.
 

"Living In The End Times" w/ Slavoj Zizek

Battle of Humans is a bonus track from #Nihilismo 
Back the LP on Bandcamp: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1618642281/sole-and-dj-pain-1-nihilismo

Battle Of Humans (Bonus Track)

Another b-side that didn't make the final cut for #Nihilismo.  
Pre-order the album here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1618642281/sole-and-dj-pain-1-nihilismo

Sole & DJ Pain 1 : Get Even

Back on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1618642281/sole-and-dj-pain-1-nihilismo 

"Our Words" is another bonus track from Nihilismo.  Often times "radical ideas" are seen as fringe, and "radicals" are content with their ideas being fringe.  This song reaffirms that these  ideas are indeed the correct ones, and they are not fringe/ avante guarde.   The root definition of the term radical means  "getting to the root."   If one thing has been a constant over the past few years, it doesn't matter what books you read, or how you identify yourself, what matters is how you think and act in this world.    

Our Words

Pick up #Nihilismo now: http://www.soledjpain1.lnk.to/Nihilismo

13. Battle Of Humans

12. Our Words

11. Exodus (Scream)

10. Walk The Plank

9. Self Destruct

8. My Brand

7. National Bird

6. Hostage Crisis

5. Extinction Event

back Nihilismo on kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1618642281/sole-and-dj-pain-1-nihilismo

3. Capitalism (is Tearing Us Apart)

2. Too Small To Fail (DIY)

This is the first “leak” that didn’t quite make the cut for my upcoming album, “A Ruthless Criticism Of Everything Existing.”  The inspiration for this track mainly comes from listening to Werner Herzog talk about nature as a kind of state of constant conflict.    This track explores desertification in all its forms, techno-mimicry of biological life, and the passing of actual experience into that of mere representation.   The music is made by Man Mantis, who produced 3 other tracks on the album.  As much as I love this song I felt like I could have made it a couple years ago, but that’s part of my process of forging a new sound & concept for a new record.

  There is no set release date for this release, but it will likely be in the fall.  This will be the first solo album I have released in almost 7 years.   So I’ve recorded songs to beats made by Alias, Busdriver, Factor, Man Mantis, myself, Cobraconda, Ryan Hemsworth, Leif Kolt, & Real Magic.  I have recorded about 25 songs so far, and it’s the most militant and empowered music I have ever made. 


Jungle of the Real (Unreleased track from ARCOEE)

“Young sole” is the lead single from sole’s upcoming release, A Ruthless Criticism Of Everything Existing. Produced by Canadian super producer Factor, “Young Sole” is a shit talking summer anthem that lays the sonic and ideological foundation for the album. “Enough with the fucking fashion show, say something real... life is too short to kiss rings,” and “10,000 years from now they’re gonna dig us up, and say no wonder these cats went extinct” sums up sole to a T. The world is still on fire, the fire is spreading, and sole is bringing the kerosene.

Although sole has been railing against everything anti-human for over a decade, his anti-capitalist, anarchistic worldview has been emboldened by his involvement with the occupy movement. A Ruthless Criticism Of Everything Existing, is the title of a Marx Essay, stressing that the critique needed to extend beyond the economy, to the roots of ideology itself and beyond. A.R.C.O.E.E. takes that discussion to heart.

It is sole’s first solo album since “Live From Rome” was released almost 7 years ago. After the critical success of “Hello Cruel World,” and the Nuclear Winter series, sole has honed his song writing to strike the perfect balance between social commentary, humor, and far-left-rap anthems. In 2010 sole left the anticon label he founded in 1998, citing “ideological business differences.” Since then, he has re-released his music on his black canyon label and played a central role with the new indie music powerhouse Fake Four Inc. A.R.C.O.E.E. continues to push the mainstream rap aesthetic into more uncharted, unpredictable, & unconventional territory.  

Young Sole (Produced by Factor)

Advance of Destituent out on Black Box Tapes / Fake Four Inc Feb 22 2019

the spectacle is the territory

Battle Rap Against Oblivion

"No Presidents" is an ode(owed) to electoral politics, the justice system, class war, direct democracy, and war criminals.  I took one of my favorite songs, "Dead Presidents" by Jay Z and fucked it all up.  The simulation of "civic duty" is no substitute for taking action, so fuck the police state, "real politics is in the streets..."    I'll be dropping a video in the next week or so.   this is a track from nuclear winter 3... which so far is 90's themed.... 

to preorder/kickstart  my new album, "a ruthless criticism of everything existing" click here:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1618642281/a-ruthless-criticism-of-everything-existing/posts/276938



No Presidents (Dead Presidents Detournement"

It has been half a decade since sole has collaborated with his old comrade odd nosdam.  Nosdam takes sole’s “Young sole”  summer hit, and transforms it into autumnal epic rock ambience.  Sole's 4th solo studio album, "A Ruthless Criticism Of Everything Existing" drops 11/13 on Black Canyon.

sole "Young Sole"  Odd Nosdam Remix)

The Untouchables is a first hand look back on the prospects of class war and revolution in the US through the lens of the occupy movement and beyond.  The song explores police repression, the perils of reformism, and sings the praise for lost causes everywhere.    When you take power back from the state, free spaces are created, and as greencarpetedstairs croons on the hook, no matter what happens (jail, beatings, etc.) "they can't hurt you."  The beat produced by Man Mantis is a slow, trappy, self immolating cop car joy-ride, minus the alarm sounds.  

A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing drops 11/13 via black canyon music. 


A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing is an album about resistance, power, global revolution,  philosophy and is Sole’s first solo album in 7 years.    The album title is lifted from a Marx letter by the same name.  This is an avant guard hip-hop album taking the rap-as-critical-theory aesthetic that sole have been developing over the past few years with the Nuclear Winter Mixtapes to a more concrete and original musical format.  Following up on the critical success of "Hello Cruel World," "A Ruthless Criticism Of Everything Existing," is the next logical step in this development of rap music; it is challenging & sometimes poppy while pushing things in a more experimental, belligerent, and militant direction.
 
Like previous sole solo albums, ARCOEE has a multitude of collaborations with various producers.  Featuring: Busdriver, Alias, Open Mike Eagle, Alias, Ryan Hemsworth, Ausker, Factor, Man Mantis, & More.   
 

The Untouchables (beat by Man Mantis hook by greencarpetedstairs)

On Letter to a Young Rapper Sole teams up with Canadian super producer Ryan Hemsworth to draft a sarcastic yet poignant message to aspiring rappers.  Although the hip–hop community wasn’t clamoring for a hip-hop take on James Joyce’s “Letter To A Young Poet” Sole delivers it with his trademark of wit & vitriol.  Throughout the course of the song everyone from Rob Bass, Goldman Sachs, Emma Goldman, Nirvana, The Game, white rappers, dictators and Hologram Tupac are evoked to paint a portrait of “banality gone wild.”   “Letter” hones in on the interests that control the music and manipulate artists, the artists that sacrifice content for image, and the spectacle that binds it all together. 

“To the rappers with skills who don’t wanna sell they souls, remain anonymous.”  -sole (quoting Ras Kass circa 1994)

A Ruthless Criticism Of Everything Existing Drops on 11/13 and is available for preorder exclusively at http://soleone.org 
 


Letter To A Young Rapper (beat by Ryan Hemsworth)

"Last Earth" is an ode to the concept of the commons, the idea that before "God granted private property to Kings and created empire" society was egalitarian and peasants had the rights to "the commons."  Today we have lost our access to "the commons," and all land has either been converted to "public(state) property or private" leaving the people nothing.   "Last Earth" is a refutation of corporate and state control of natural resources.    From the Keystone XL energy pipeline to the disappearing ice caps at the north pole, we are in the midst of an ecological collapse and the owners of the world don't care.  This song goes out to the brave souls who take direct action to create a sustainable just world and work to restore the commons.

Last Earth (beat by Man Mantis)

new album!  watch the new video here:  
preorder here:

Non Workers of the World (beat by Man Mantis)


Before the tears that fell from the president’s face hit the podium and the US troops deployed to Turkish borders could learn to pronounce “Ahmadinejad”, everyone had an opinion on the Connecticut shooting. Celebrities and politicians all lined up, either to propose stricter gun laws or to say, “now is not the time to politicize”. Even as the details from the Aurora shooting continue to fill news pages and blogs months later, once again we are trapped in a 9600+ hour news cycle where we will be bludgeoned with every detail to emerge from the shooting as hack journalists pontificate back and forth on “how” but never look deeper then family/personal issues as to the “why”.

The situation in our country is a lot deeper then just to propose less guns. First of all, you’re not gonna un-invent the gun; it’s part of our DNA. So those proposing that our violent police force and army should be the only ones with guns are not only fighting a losing battle, but they are wrong. If this was about guns, you’d be able to come up with a mathematic equation that one could apply to predict massacres in every nation, but this only really happens here. Switzerland actually has a higher rate of gun ownership then the US per household, but far less murders by guns. So whether or not people want to ban or restrict guns, it’s not going to address what is at the root of these attacks.

So we must ask ourselves: What is unique in our country compared to the rest of the world? What is unique about America, compared to other western countries? The most obvious thing would be to point out that we don’t have medical/mental care for anyone other than the middle and upper class. The people who are most in need of mental health care can not get it, and if they do get it, they are just fed Prozac and sent home. The mental health industry in our country has long been little more then a fast food drive through for big Pharma. Europe has a a welfare state, a safety net, free universities and free health care. People have upward mobility and live a much higher quality of life than we do, and that is an empirical fact.

We have been in a recession for almost a decade and young people are growing up with less and less prospects for the future. Their parents are overworked and there is no end in sight. There is no hope. The American dream has proven to be a mirage for everyone but the baby boomers. People with no hope for the future do crazy, destructive shit.

We live in the society of the spectacle, a world that is mediated by images and technology and we humans are lost in it. We are in a progress trap, where our technological progress has surpassed our emotional ability to deal with the ramifications of it. Simply said, we have lost all sense of community and emotional support. This in itself is one thing, but combined with the sheer amount of stress that people are under in this new economy it should come as no surprise that alienated people on the fringes with no support lash out like this. Instead of just killing themselves quietly, they do it in a way that will ensure a kind of fame for themselves, picking places which are the most shocking to strike and knowing full well that they will go down in history.

Mass murders are big business for the mainstream news. With all this attention that they devote to covering these events, you would think that they would dig a little deeper than stories that tear at our heart strings about the victims and their families, grieving communities and gun control. I was hard pressed to even find mention of the economy, the mental health system, or alienation in any of the mainstream press. I was able to find a story on bullying on CNN. Yeah, bullying, if that helps the mainstream media and the Obama administration sleep at night, I’m sure there is some concerned parent out there willing to buy that.

If the mainstream media wants to stop this cycle of violence, they could begin by NOT promoting it and profiting from it. They could follow the lead of Sweden, not mention the killer’s name and move on.

There are a million factors that contributed to this, but I’d be remised if I didn’t point out the hypocrisy and jingoistic nature of most of these responses. This is the shit we fund in Gaza; this is what our drones do daily throughout the Islamic world. Tens of thousands of people have been killed by the American Empire in the past 10 years, and you’d be hard pressed to find as many American tears for our victims overseas. That is not to take anything away from this tragedy or equivocate; this was an utterly horrific act. If we really want to put an end to the mass shootings, we must begin to heal the society and culture that spawns them.

GUN CONTROL

"People Piss Me Off" is a tongue in cheek assault on everything from phony revolutionaries, electronic artists,  pot activists,  bullshit rappers, Facebook, journalists, fame & of course the police.  P.P.M.O. is a friendly chin-check that adopts a delivery which sits somewhere between the "Friendly critique" style of modern folk punk and Kool Keith's "Sex Style."  
No Wising Up No Settling Down drops May 1st and is available now for pre-order through soleone.org

People Piss Me Off Produced by Loden

"No Wising Up No Settling Down" available at http://soleone.org

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