Sound Providers

Formed: 1998 | San Diego, CA The Sound Providers are a jazz rap duo formed by producers Jay Skillz and Soulo (3). Formed in 1998 in San Diego, California, it originally included a third member, an MC named Profile, who left the group shortly before they were signed by ABB Records. The Sound Providers produced a number of singles before releasing their debut album [m41320], recorded and produced in San Diego and Los Angeles, in 2004 on ABB Records. Without Profile, The SPs filled the void by bringing in a number of guest artists: Asheru, The Procussions, [a172035], Maspyke and Little Brother (3) all made contributions to the album. Soulo (3), although fulfilling the role of DJ/producer, is known to occasionally spit on the mic. He only raps briefly on the debut, but rapped on a number of their earlier tracks. In early 2006 they released another album entitled [m674978], which is a compilation of earlier songs made when Profile was still a member of the group. These songs were previously available only as 12" singles. The album also includes a number of radio promos and other beats and songs which had never seen the light of day before. In 2006 The Pros also completed a full-length album with an emcee from Tampa, Florida named Surreal (6). The album is entitled [m41338], and the first single [r702734] was released in June of the same year. The full length album was released on 14 November 2006 on Quarternote Records / ABB Records The Sound Providers sound is predominately jazz orientated hip hop, though their work can consist of a much wider array of genres. Their style is a mix of socially conscious lyrics with new school rap beats, with samples taken from jazz, funk, and reggae. They have cited artists such as [a29058] and the [a114820] as influences for their work.