Born & raised in Chicago, IL., Sulaiman began writing at age 12 while attending Kenwood Academy in the city's historic Hyde Park community. A product of two hip-hop enthusiast older brothers, a love for hip-hop emerged naturally and was fostered by an early commitment to the elements at Promontory Point, a hot spot for burgeoning hip-hop talent from Chicago.
Always a step ahead of his peers in his age range, Sulaiman studied and incubated his music for the next 10 years, resisting the temptation to put out unprepared material and recognizing that you only get one chance to make a first impression. Operating under the moniker 'TheNativeSoul', his first public release, 'A Rhyme A Day', was the world's introduction to the introspective thoughts of the songwriter on the issues of the day, put into a format that reinforced his concept that a rhyme a day keeps the wackness away.
Sulaiman's second release under the name TheNativeSoul, 'An Evolution', was just that. A lyrical leap was made, with the transition from inspired writer to studio vocalist clearly evident in new found deliveries previously non-existent on A Rhyme A Day. Songs like "World Play" paid homage to inspirational groups like A Tribe Called Quest, while other records like "Nothing Compares", "Suspended In Time", "Just To F You Up" - served as evidence that Sulaiman was coming into his own as a truly unique and valuable artist.
After the release of An Evolution, the world began to take notice. Blogs began to take notice of Sulaiman's talents, but due to his involvement in multiple aspects of the creative scene in Chicago through designs, the administration of Blind I, a boutique music blog, and other endeavors, it became increasingly difficult to operate under two different monikers and rely on the public to make the connection. Thus, Sulaiman decided to drop his 'TheNativeSoul' stage name and rock with his God-given first name, Sulaiman. This transition inspired even more vigor for his professional improvement, and, for the first time on record, true innovation in his technique.
For the next year (2009), Sulaiman worked nonstop on his most serious solo effort up to that point, a continuation of his improvement concept entitled 'Black Ribbon, Hard Work!'. Record after record was produced, blending some of Sulaiman's purest musical influences with a renewed devotion towards a new sound previously unheard. So many records were created that a side project entitled 'Sulaiman is TheNativeSoul' was released to give the public access to records that didn't make the final cut for the Black Ribbon, Hard Work! project. Featuring some of Sulaiman's original production amongst gritty, deep, and sonically astounding production from the likes of Little Dragon, Karriem Riggins, NEZ&RIO, Kameleon, The Kickdrums and more, Sulaiman is TheNativeSoul proclaimed that the Chicagoan was ready to pursue something real in the music industry once Black Ribbon, Hard Work! was released to the public.
Artists get into their own minds, especially with solo projects, thus the preparation period for Black Ribbon, Hard Work! went well into overtime. Constantly searching for new sounds, Sulaiman became inspired one day by a beat tape sent to him by a producer named Chris P, who'd cleverly flipped classic D'angelo samples that caught Sulaiman's ear. In six-hour span, Sulaiman wrote, recorded, created album artwork, and released "D'ecent' - a snippet-tape of sorts speaking about male/female interactions from his perspective. Songs like "Gold Wrappers", a song about using protection, "Sandwich", a depiction of a typical chance-occurrence when that special one walks past you, and even "Ex-pectations", a song about dealing with the faults of your current lover's previous mates, hit with a resounding bang amongst Sulaiman's media peers and fans alike. (Check out the video for 'Sandwich' here: http://vimeo.com/14565512)
The D'ecent project, coupled with the aforementioned push attributed to the Sulaiman is TheNativeSoul release, set the stage for the debut of Sulaiman's 2010 releases - "Black Ribbon, Hard Work!", and a collaborative project with the Brainiac Society's Vic Spencer for "We're Just Disappointed". The Disappointed project came about while Sulaiman was tediously working on BRHW, and a chance meeting with Vic Spencer during a club night put the wheels in motion. On 'Disappointed' the two lyricists feed off each other's energy with an ebb & flow that perfectly depicts Chicago struggles, criticisms, and dreams. Through this collaborative effort, Sulaiman elevated his stage show skill, becoming as confident as ever with delivery, on-stage charisma, and the ever-important attention to detail. 'Disappointed' was also the first project mixed completely by Sulaiman himself, further adding to his already-extensive list of talents.
Black Ribbon, Hard Work was finally released in the second half of 2010, a superb exhibit of the progression Sulaiman made due to God-given talent and, what else, hard work! BRHW served as the best display of Sulaiman's talent & versatility up until that point, with production ranging from the gritty dancehall vibes of Major Lazer - to the soothing sonic vibes of Thievery Corporation. Though BRHW was released in October of 2010, 'Understand Me' - a featured track featuring Kenna, is currently in rotation on WGCI 107.5 Chicago's Saturday show, GoILL Radio, hosted by the VH1 Hip-Hop DJ of the Year and Heavy Hitter DJ Timbuck2.
In 2011 Sulaiman is engaged in a multitude of new projects, having recently released a compilation with fellow Treated Crew™ affiliate Gzus Piece of recently recorded records entitled 'What Music Should Sound Like'.
A new collaborative project with singer/songwriter/producer Chris Mathien under the moninker "Local Nobodies" will be released early August 2011, with lead singles "Buddy" and "Breathe In (Let Go)" already making the viral rounds in anticipation of the full release in collaboration with DJBooth.net.
A special 6-song EP with songwriter/producer Nesbitt Wesonga of the production duo NEZ&RIO as conceptual 'swaggists' 'Peer Pressure' will be released late July 2011 to the fans.
Sulaiman has also curated a Various Artists endeavor entitled 'Hella Mogs' featuring musical peers like Naledge, Vic Mensa, Vic Spencer, Rod Don, Gzus Piece, YP, Boldy James and more, slated to be released early September 2011.
Sulaiman's next solo venture, 'Planet Earth' will arrive via iTunes September 2011, featuring production from The Kickdrums, NEZ&RIO, and Chuck Inglish of The Cool Kids amongst others.
For more information visit http://www.suliforshort.co/
