SolarFive keeps setting the standard w/ release “One Mo’ ‘Gin”
SolarFive is one of those artists whose music requires something from you. You can’t just press play and casually move through it. You have to sit with his perspective, understand the language, catch the references, and allow yourself to enter the universe he’s creating. And if you spend enough time there, you might walk away looking at Chicago, and it’s music ecosystem, a little differently. That has been SolarFive’s impact through the blog era. As an artist and the leader of OnGaud Productions, SolarFive has consistently operated years ahead of his time, producing some of the most unique, surreal and brutally honest street storytelling Chicago hip hop has given us. His music has always existed somewhere between reality and mythology, taking actual experiences, relationships, losses, victories and Chicago history and turning them into worlds of their own. And somehow, after everything he has already contributed, it still feels like he’s just getting started. “One Mo’ ‘Gin” is another example of exactly that..
Sonically, this album is SolarFive getting deeper into his bag. The mixing and mastering coming out of Cmplx Studios, alongside the work of the producers involved like DJ Hustlenomics, INTL MC and others gives the project a polished foundation without stripping away the grit that makes SolarFive’s music his own. while features from Howie Stackz, Ju-Blick and others makes this project one that can’t be ignored even if you tried. The records have tremendous replay value, but what makes this album especially important is it’s historical value. There is history living inside these records. The collaboration with Mick Jenkins on the record “Lonely World” is one of the clearest examples. Beyond simply being a strong record, there is context behind that collaboration that stretches across eras of Chicago music. Listen closely enough and you begin hearing some intense but important moments of SolarFive’s journey, the relationships, movements, struggles, artistic evolution and his position as both an inspiration and a muse for artists who have gone on to make their own impact. That context matters. Because SolarFive’s story isn’t only about SolarFive. His fingerprints exist across an entire ecosystem. He has created alongside some of Chicago’s most intense and innovative artists, contributed some incredibly unique verses to the city’s musical history and continuously helped expand what Chicago street music and independent hip hop can sound like. “One Mo’ ‘Gin” feels like another chapter in that history while simultaneously opening the door to whatever comes next. And that leads to our only critique, we need to know more..
More about SolarFive. More about OnGaud. More about the relationships behind these records. More about the last 15 years. More about the musical universes he continues building and the artists, producers, engineers and creatives who have existed inside of them. Because at this stage, simply hearing the music isn’t enough. SolarFive has accumulated a story that deserves to be documented alongside it. And if the rumors are true, there are already more projects waiting in the wings. If “One Mo’ ‘Gin” is any indication of where SolarFive is headed next, then one of Chicago’s most unique storytellers may still have some of his most important work ahead of him..
Take a listen and let us know what you think..
