Out now, stream SoulGroupUniverse’s Soul Food
If you’re looking for good music with real lyrics, here it is: Meet SoulGroupUniverse, the Queens rap collective from South Jamaica, Queens.
In 2015, SGU forcefully swept through the underground rap game with their burst of bangers on Soul Group University. Their debut mixtape was an audio snapshot of the young upstarts, balancing machismo and affection with hustler’s motivation. “I’m focused on bridging the gap/Between a rap nigga in the streets and street nigga that rap,” raps Chello on "Upside Down". Since then they’ve released a series of mixtapes that provided a mixture of hard-nosed lyricism and what real rap sounds like. Stargiela, Saj, 808, and Chello are the four hitters that make up SGU.
Fast forward to 2017, SGU mastered the art of making good music. They used the mixtape-as-marketing-tool which scored them a deal with Commission Music. On Thanksgiving (Nov.23), SGU released Soul Food, which premiered on Vibe.com. The project currently has over 9k plays on soundcloud and is still gaining numbers. The production features Mark Neils, Adot Tha God, Kill, Teddy Da Don, and more. Packaged into 10 tracks, everyone does their part from production to delivery.
Stargiela's charismatic and slick bravado delivers on tracks, giving us lines we need to compute for understanding. His propensity for strong wordplay is shown on each verse. "And now everybody 'scam' when they rap/Meanwhile I'm in the spot and I hope the manager black/It seem foul when I get the Guap and I hand you a stack/You'll see why I risk it all to be the man on this track," raps Star on "Outer Space".
808's casual flow offsets the vicious rhymes, sometimes using a straightforward chorus to flaunt his invincibility on verses. "Don't make a plan/Nigga be the plan/We was really runnin' up in cribs think I'm Peter Pan(Fact)/Young niggas servin pies like the pizza man/Look inside his eyes you could see the man/I swear to god he saw his own demise when the heater jammed," raps 808 on "Red Black Green".
Chello Nigga! Chello attacks with ease on tracks emphasizing his hustler's spirit, proving his flow is fluid and filled with street paeans. "Why worry bout first week sales (Why)/When rap could go sour tomorrow (It Could), but I'ma still know how to work these scales (I Will)/That sneak dissing get a nigga hurt streets real (Glllttttt BOOM)/My man fresh home he feelin like a hurst beats jail (Werd)," raps Chello on "Brainstorm".
Saj's melodious voice serves the ladies-gearing gushers. Depending on the verse/hook, his flow switches proving he can thrive in any musical setting. "It’s just something bout the trap that I love (Skrrt)/Got me dressed in all white to go black in the club (lawd)/Pulling up 40 deep, slim chance it’s a dub (facts)/They want the soul in it, (facts) hunnad bottles sound so ignant," raps Saj on "Outer Space".
Together they talk gritty street tales with hemmed hooks to thaw the iciest of tracks for the rugged project. SGU told us we can expect visuals for singles off Soul Food and new music early next year. They also shared details of their upcoming showcase, SGUV Fest 2 at SOB’s on Instagram, where they encourage their fans to show up and support for the big show on 12/20/2017. Make sure you stay on SoulGroupUniverse to see what's next for them in 2018!
If you haven't heard already, check out Soul Food and let us know what you think.