There\u2019s just something magical about the music that comes out of the Twin Cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sure, other cities and regions can boast of their music scenes \u2013 Nashville, Austin, Texas, Seattle, St. Louis, etc. \u2013 but aside from New York and Los Angeles, the Twin Cities can argue its scene reigns supreme. There are the obvious pioneers of the Minneapolis Sound, but a multitude of current artists are demonstrating the sound lives on in new and unique forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While pop sensation Lizzo is gracing magazine covers and selling out arenas and festivals, it was a couple of years ago when her fans could have caught her on stage at the Icehouse. And even then, it was obvious that stages such as the Icehouse \u2013 a stage that has welcomed the likes of Grammy winners KING, as Prince watched from the balcony \u2013 would soon be a thing of the past for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But most recently the Icehouse played host to another star \u2026 SoloStar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A lyricist with intricate wordplay and the flow of the Mississippi River during high tide, SoloStar commanded high praise from the likes of Sway and Heather B. when \u201cSway in the Morning\u201d came to town for its annual pre-Soundset live remote. Branded an \u201cabsolute hyena\u201d \u2013 hyena being the moniker given to the most vicious freestyle MCs \u2013 by Sway and Heather B., SoloStar showed the world what many in the Twin Cities already knew \u2026 we have a hyena on our hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo have Sway say I was the best MC to perform (during the live broadcast) and to have Heather B. \u2013 a pioneer \u2013 say the world needs to hear me \u2026 it was both humbling and inspiring,\u201d said SoloStar. \u201cHeather B. was super impressed and she\u2019s not one who\u2019s easily impressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heather B. will most likely be more impressed by SoloStar\u2019s recently release \u201c#Lovehangover.\u201d The eight-song collection is a moody autobiography of intimate thoughts regarding the artist\u2019 rocky relationship with a longtime love. The entire project is a poetic hip-hop masterpiece, but \u201c#Thecross\u201d stands out as a one minute and 46 second verbal takedown and Solo\u2019s take on a Sade classic, \u201c#Strongerthanpride,\u201d is a combination of pain, strength and truth-telling that only a select few MCs can attain. \u201c#Lovehangover\u201d is available on most digital streaming outlets. SoloStar will be performing the album in its entirety with a live band on Wednesday (June 19), 6 p.m. at Schmidt Artists Lofts, 876 W. 7th<\/sup> St., St. Paul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Insight News<\/em> has fully embraced the digital age, hosting a Facebook Live program, \u201cFront Room Sessions\u201d from the living room of the Marcus Garvey House in North Minneapolis, headquarters of the media outlet. The show is a free exchange of ideas and information, thus the song that opens the program is aptly titled, Liz Gre\u2019s \u201cFree Exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gre (pronounced gray), a native of Omaha, Neb., and who currently resides there, is without a doubt a Twin Cities artist. Having lived here for five years, Gre said if it weren\u2019t for her experiences in the area she wouldn\u2019t be singing professionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t really consider myself a singer until I came to Minneapolis,\u201d said Gre. \u201cMy dad is a pastor, so I sang in church and karaoke and open mics, but that\u2019s it. But the Twin Cities changed me. I was singing regularly at an open mic at Plums (Bar & Grill) in St. Paul and someone asked me if I had music on iTunes and that caught me off guard. It opened my mind to the possibility of writing and recording my own music.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gre began collaborating with the Soulflower Collective \u2013 an artist collection that included the members of Astral Black and PaviElle \u2013 and would soon release her own recordings. Now in Omaha, Gre has gravitated to the genre of \u201cnew music\u201d \u2013 a contemporary offshoot of classical music. Earlier this year she debuted her new material at the Queens Museum in New York and later this year she will be collaborating with the Omaha Symphony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was going to be in Minnesota for one year and that one year turned into five,\u201d said Gre, who said she came to the area for a job opportunity via AmeriCorps. \u201cFor me the Twin Cities was the right place at the right time to explore and express my creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n