Today we’d like to introduce you to Zachary “Vile” and Francisco “Muds One” Ruiz.
Zachary and Francisco, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It began with three friends sipping forties at the park, as hip-hop was intended. Our lifelong friend and former producer of Soul Providers, Thought so, revealed to us that he had been writing raps. He then put on an instrumental by Damu the Fudge Monk and recited a verse for us. Astonished and buzzed, I (Vile) proceeded to freestyle for the first time; not too shabby if I do say so myself. Impressed by my effort, Thought so suggested we begin writing raps together with the intent to make music. The rest is history, three months later; Thought so transitioned to making beats because he felt there was “too many emcees and not enough mics.” Thus Soul Providers was born.
Consistency and progression have been key to Soul Providers success. Now a duo, Mighty Muds has honed his skills as a videographer and director which he incorporates into SP’s creative visuals. Along with Soul Providers’ music videos, Muds also engineers for the duo. I (Vile) have committed to the art form by studying English to truly convey a message through my lyrics; obtaining a degree in both English and Literature to sharpen my songwriting. Soul Providers started as a couple of friends having fun and remains just that, with a bit of professionalism, now, added to the mix.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
With school, work, family, relationships, other endeavors and life, in general, music has always been an escape from life’s obstacles. At times frustrating, we’ve always had fun with hip-hop, and that’s why we continue to provide soul through hip-hop frequencies. The road is full of bumps, but we Soul Providers enjoy the ride
Please tell us about Soul Providers.
With seven years of experience, Soul Providers is known for introspective, and overall fun hip hop music. Quality and longevity are some of our strong points. Although we’ve been friends for well over 20 years, our approach towards lyrics are on different sides of the spectrum.
Muds’ style is overall fun and simplistic, he gets straight to the point, showing influences of groups like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. I (Vile) on the other hand focus on thought-provoking lyrics and complex rhymes schemes, reminiscent of Blackstar and Nas.
Together we balance each other musically, both on records and live performances; Soul Providers are known for our chemistry.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
When I first began writing music, lyrics were a priority. I wanted to be known for my words so badly, I had forgot the importance of flow and delivery. After our project Sol, I realized I need to work on my presentation which in turn aided our live performances as well. If I could go back, I would balance my focus on both lyrics and flow.
Promotion is key, for any independent artist/business. Primarily, I wanted to be a lyricist known for my words, not my appearance but I now know the significance of promoting one’s art. It doesn’t matter how dope you are if only your friends and family know of your talents.
I learned the importance of promotion from our East of the River Network brethren Mad Macks who exemplified the importance of great promotion and what it can do for one’s product. Promo is definitely an aspect I would have focused more on from the beginning
Pricing:
- To book Soul Providers $100+
Contact Info:
- Website: soulprovidersla.com
- Email: soulprovidersla@gmail.com
- Instagram: @soulproviders
- Facebook: Soul Providers
- Twitter: Soulprovidersla
- Other: @soulvile @mightymuds
Image Credit:
Tone One of Socialeyes, Gadzooks
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
