Blossoming during an age in which independent hip-hop was creating its own self industry and much of the Midwest was watching artists put their cities on the map, Soulcrate Music took the model to a new plateau. DJ Absolute and siblings Attention Def and Dirt Dee built their following from scratch in their hometown of Sioux Falls, SD, focusing on creating a new style of energetic music with a high regard for soul and classic hip-hop. The trio quickly found itself opening local shows for national heavyweights from Atmosphere, Macklemore, 311, and The Spill Canvas. Their following at home exploded, selling out 400-500 capacity venues as a must-see headliner.
Soon focus turned to regional touring and the trio caught the attention of Black Clover Records, who took their road show national. The Heartland Panic, released in 2010, served as a ground-breaking effort that lifted Soulcrate to a new height. With a new album and new support, they toured relentlessly, and continually sold out hometown venues with capacities nearing 1000. Their hard work paid off when Soulcrate was offered a spot on Rhymesayers’ Soundset Festival in 2011, featuring acts like Big Boi and De La Soul. In 2012, they released The Kick Rocks Collection EP and co-headlined a Midwest Tour with Minneapolis’ Prof.
After years of touring, the group took a break to focus on writing and recording their upcoming album, Welcome Back From Wherever You’ve Been, released in September 2013. Soulcrate has also taken on one of the biggest feats of their career, planning not just a hometown headlining show, but an outdoor block party. The That Sounds Decent! concert featured Soulcrate with Later Babes, P.O.S., Culture Cry Wolf, and other locals and was their biggest self-made show to date.
