The Soul Rebels ft Special Guests Talib Kweli, Kirk Knight & More

2014 - 2015 has been explosive for THE SOUL REBELS riding high from touring four continents including Europe, Australia, debuting in China and Japan, selling out shows in New York City, opening for Bruno Mars, collaborating live with artists spanning from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Marilyn Manson, Joey Bada$$, Big Freedia, Lettuce, Umphrey's McGee, Robert Glasper, Kool & The Gang, Slick Rick and The String Cheese Incident to sharing stages with Kanye West, The Allman Brothers Band, Gary Clarke Jr., John Mayer, Jack White, Dave Mathews and Disclosure. The Soul Rebels toured with Trombone Shorty and returned home to record the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s official soundtrack, quoted by the iconic festival as “Soul Rebels, the soundtrack of Jazz Fest 2015”.

The Soul Rebels started with an idea – to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of hip hop, jazz and rock. The band has settled on an eight-piece lineup that can be heard on their international debut release Unlock Your Mind. The Soul Rebels built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in the party like atmosphere of a dance club. When not touring, The Soul Rebels’ weekly show at New Orleans’ Le Bon Temps Roulé is known to erupt with the kind of contagious, shout-along musical mayhem that The Rebels bring with them wherever they perform.

The Soul Rebels continue to chart new territory as they combine topnotch musicianship and songs with grooves that celebrate dancing, life, funk and soul.

"The Soul Rebels, New Orleans' finest brass ensemble..." -VICE
“The Soul Rebels are the missing link between Public Enemy and Louis Armstrong.” -VILLAGE VOICE
"New Orleans’ top-shelf brass ensemble The Soul Rebels...wind-wielding wizardry of New Orleans’ finest." OKAYPLAYER
"Brace yourselves folks, these men are quickly solidifying themselves amongst NOLA's proud big brass elite... and seem intent to sublimate the homogenoustones of the contemporary urban music landscape with the lush instrumentation of our culture's root." -OKAYPLAYER
"The Soul Rebels are rebelling against one, albeit detestable thing: starchy paint-by-numbers music." -VIBE


The Brooklyn-based rapper earned his stripes as one of the most lyrically-gifted, socially aware and politically insightful rappers to emerge in the last 20 years. His travels around the globe as one of rap's most in-demand performers combined with his conversations with political activists and his genre-straddling work with Idle Warship and others caused Kweli to realize that he was limited in a sense, a prisoner of sorts of his own success as one of the world's best rappers with something significant to say.

"My music has been associated with those types of causes, with positivity, spirituality, intelligence and being thought-provoking and such," he says. "I think sometimes people get caught up in that part of me as an artist and don't necessarily understand the musicality or fully appreciate the music and the entertainment value behind what I do. I tried to stretch my wings a little bit and bring something that was less beholden to the world of hip-hop and more existing in the world in general."

The result of this artistic growth and exploration arrives with Kweli's dynamic Prisoner Of Conscious AKA P.O.C., an artistic tour de force that signals the start of the next chapter of Kweli's remarkable career. The BK MC spent more time working on Prisoner Of Conscious than any of his other albums, a three-year journey that found him exploring new vibes, joining in some unlikely collaborations and taking him to foreign lands.

Produced by Symbolyc One (Kanye West, Ghostface), the title track's alternatively rap and rock-based beat provides a distinctive platform for Kweli to deliver rhymes that detail his artistic awakening, while producers Sean C & LV (Jay-Z, Raekwon) created a Marvin Gaye-esque vibe for "Come," a cut featuring Miguel that showcases Kweli trying to convince a series of women to do things his way.

Then there's the dramatic, piano-driven "Before He Walked," which showcases passionate vocals from singer Abby Dobson and includes a verse from possibly the most noteworthy guest on Prisoner Of Conscious: Nelly. Both Kweli and The St. Louis rapper recount the importance music has had in their lives on the stirring song, which was an outgrowth of conversations about music and life Kweli and Nelly had at Kweli's Los Angeles residence.

"Nelly is somebody I've known and have been friendly with throughout the years in this business," Kweli says. "Nelly has always been an example for me because a rising tide raises all boats. Nelly is an artist who is polarizing at times because of the 'Tip Drill' video to the boycotts he's endured at colleges, but I know him as a person, and he's a great person."

Elsewhere, the driving "Ready Set Go" with singer Melanie Fiona features Kweli's ever-impressive clever verbal gymnastics, which are also on display on the stark Busta Rhymes-guested and RZA-produced "Rocketships."

Kweli shifts gears on "Favela Love." Inspired by and created during a trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil, the breezy song features crooning from Brazilian singer and actor Seu George (City Of God, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). Kweli and George met in the studio, leading Kweli to deviate from his original concept for the song.

"The song went from being about a woman to be being about Brazil, about the favela, about loving to come there," he reveals. "The woman is really a metaphor for the place. That's why it's called 'Favela Love.' When I was telling Seu George about that, he started singing about how much he loves Brazil and where Brazil fits in the world."

AFTER NEARLY 20 YEARS OF RELEASING MESMERIZING MUSIC, TALIB KWELI STANDS AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST TALENTED AND MOST ACCOMPLISHED RAPPERS.
Whether working with Mos Def as one-half of Black Star, partnering with producer Hi-Tek for Reflection Eternal, releasing landmark solo material or collaborating with Kanye West or Madlib, Kweli commands attention by delivering top-tier lyricism, crafting captivating stories and showing the ability to rhyme over virtually any type of beat.

In particular, Kweli showed his artistic reach in Idle Warship. Teaming with longtime collaborator and acclaimed singer Res, Kweli began getting out of his sonic and creative comfort zone on the group's 2009 mixtape Party Robot and its debut album, 2011's Habits Of The Heart.

Idle Warship's music challenged Kweli and led him to a new artistic space. "I like the position I'm in," he says. "I feel like I'm a connector, a leader. I feel like I've led by example and I want to continue to do that. I like the fact that I'm in a position where cats who are coming out and making music that I enjoy are interested in my music and are interested in my influence. It's a great feeling."

Kweli also has the high-powered Attack The Block mixtape with DJ Z-Trip set to arrive and will be focusing on making his Javotti Media (which released his 2011 album, Gutter Rainbows, and is named after his paternal grandmother) into a media powerhouse that releases music, films and books.

But for now, Prisoner Of Conscious arrives as an artistic triumph, a collection that embodies Talib Kweli's robust creative vision. "I wanted to put out an album that really can support the artist that I've become," he says. "I'm a touring artist. I'm an artist that's internationally known. I'm not just a local artist at this point in my career. I'm cognizant of the fact that what I do is beyond where it started. I'm trying to reach the apex of where I am now, but without turning my back on or dismissing what I've done before."


There are few artists hailing from the east coast with more versatility than Pro Era's very own Kirk Knight. Born Kirlan Labarrie, Kirk Knight is a prolific emcee, producer and songwriter who, regardless of the type of project he puts out, always ends up finding a way to successfully embody New York City and Brooklyn's grit and ruggedness; it is the focal point of his sound, and what makes him so unique among other rapper/producers.

Kirk Knight started rapping and working on music in his early teens, but it wasn't until he met Joey Bada$$ and became a part of the Pro Era crew that he started taking his medium of self-expression – making beats, rapping and working on songs – seriously, to the point where he decided it'd be his destined path in life. From beating on tables at lunch, to being introduced to FL Studio and the likes his junior year at Erasmus Hall High School, Knight first realized his potential and then actualized it by staying true to the foundations of hip-hop: through expression, art, and dedication.

Knight is best known for his production work with Joey Bada$$, Mick Jenkins (with whom he toured with nationally) and his fellow Pro Era members. Notable contributions include his stand out work on Joey Bada$$'s debut album "B4.DA.$$," including the album's lead single, "Big Dusty," as well as the eerie, critically acclaimed track "Hazeus View." Knight is also particularly recognized for his production credits on Joey Bada$$'s earlier efforts including "Summer Knights" as well as a feature on Joey Bada$$'s debut mixtape "1999" on the song "Where It's At".

When asked what inspires these boundless, diverse creative pursuits, Knight remarks that he "uses music to capture his interpretation of everyday moments." This concept is most evident on Kirk's self-produced and recorded songs "Early Morning Hiatus," "Brokeland" and "Extortion."

Drawing inspiration from iconic artists like J Dilla, Madlib, Kanye West, and the Notorious B.I.G., Knight leaps from smooth melodies to raw, uncut sounds effortlessly. Staying true to himself through his art, by believing in himself and his ability to connect with the youth, Knight invites fellow hip-hop fans and listeners to live vicariously through his music, whether through his beats, songs, or full-length projects.