Future beats, eclectic soul, forgotten gems, and timeless sounds… All brought to you by Joe Kay. This is Soulection.

With over 600 radio shows aired to date, the Soulection catalog is as large as it is diverse. Future beats, R&B, jungle, trap, and garage all get a little love from Joe Kay. Each episode is a music connoisseur’s dream, brimming with fresh releases and artists that invariably deserve more recognition. Joe Kay goes above and beyond typical track curation. He is a true taste-maker, one who has taken over a decade to help solidify a space for these genres to inhabit.

Album and EP releases aren’t a new foray for Soulection. The first Soulection Compilation album was released in 2011. Other notable compilations such as 3 Years of Soulection, the Stussy Collaboration, and a slew of White Label releases followed in the coming years (all of which are available for free on their website here). Soulection Radio Mixtape 001 is the first mixtape of its kind in the discography, featuring a number of radio-show exclusive tracks and blends that haven’t been formally released prior (and which longtime fans are sure to recognize). The album consists of returning Soulection OGs such as Sango, Jared Jackson, and ESTA., alongside more recent newcomers to the label like love ave. and Flwr Chyld. From the sultry strings of Sango’s ‘Overnight Love’ live mix to the bustling drums of JAEL‘s ‘Think of You Jungle Edit,’ this compilation is chock-full of gems.

You can join in on the anniversary celebration with the SoundCloud tracks below, or check out the Bandcamp page here for the full versions of all tracks. We’re really looking forward to year 14, Joe, so keep up the stellar work.

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9 years is a long time to do anything consistently. We’ve seen platforms, artists, labels, and genres explode and then fade away in that time. But we’re still here. The past 9 years have been beautiful, challenging, inspiring, exhausting, and incredible. I’ve been told blogs are dead. People don’t read anymore. Trap is dead. Tik-Tok is the future. Cornerstones of our platform may seem to erode with time but we evolve, endure, and stand behind what we believe in. We’ve never been about chasing trends or pushing what’s popular. We’re about showcasing the future and helping to push it forward. We are Champions Of The Underground. We put quality over clicks and plays. We really fucking care about music. In a way that’s irregular… and we’re proud of it. If you’re reading this you probably feel the same way, and we love you for it.

Thank you to every person who’s been a part of this journey. Thank you to our incredible writing team, you inspire me daily and are the backbone of our site. Thank you to every artist that’s worked with us in any capacity and to all the incredible industry people we’ve had the pleasure of connecting with. Thank you to all of our fans and supporters.

This seems like the obligatory part where I plug “big things coming this year,” so fuck it, we’ve got some incredible stuff on the horizon. Same great content on the site, new features, new guest mixes, new label releases, (hopefully) new merch, and who knows what else? Every year is a new chapter and this one is going to be fun.

If you love what we’re doing please keep reading our articles, share our content, repost our releases, and tell a friend. The smallest things can have more impact than you’d imagine, for us and anyone pushing a creative pursuit. Thank you for helping make my dreams come to life.

We’re still here.

<3

Colin

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There are few things in my life I’ve stuck with for 7 years. 7 years is a long time. When I was younger I’d often move from hobby to hobby, from baseball to hockey, skateboarding to partying (that’s a hobby right?). Few things stuck for any real length of time. The only thing that’s been constant in my life is music. My best friend. FUXWITHIT has allowed me to develop my relationship with music in ways I never dreamed of when we began. Over the years we’ve gone from an unknown microblog blog fueled by passion, to becoming Champions Of The Underground. We’ve evolved into a pillar of the culture and while we are not the biggest platform out, we’re certainly one of the best.

The past year has been a wild one. The pandemic has made life hard and weird. Music has been a wonderful distraction and FUXWITHIT has reached new heights despite the difficult times. We did 52 guest mixes + interviews last year (yes, one per week). 100+ premieres. We’ve had the opportunity to work with legends all while showing love to the best under-the-radar artists out regardless of size. We took over Digital Festivals. We finally launched our apparel line and dropped a ton of incredible in-depth features and interviews. We live in a world where we constantly want more and look forward to what’s next. But when I stop and take a look back at all we’ve been able to do over the years, I’m in awe. Beyond grateful to be able to do things I dreamed about and beyond.

With all that said, we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are without our phenomenal team. So I wanted to extend the biggest thank you to everyone on our team! I never dreamed I’d be able to connect with so many incredibly talented people who share the same vision. It’s been amazing seeing so many of you grow and continually get better, sharper, and take on new and exciting things. We’re only going up.

Thank you to all the artists and industry people we work with on a regular basis. I hear a ton of negativity about how awful the music industry is, and while it does have its dark side, I’ve met hundreds of exceptional people through the past 7 years that give me so much hope for where we can go.

Finally thank you to all our readers, fans, and supporters. We would have no reason to exist without you.

Every year has been our biggest year yet. 2021 won’t be any different. We’ve got some incredible plans on the horizon. The underground is taking over and you know we’re doing everything we can to help lead the charge.

Thanks for coming along for the ride. I love you all.
<3
Colin

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since the release of Drake’s third official mixtape, So Far Gone. Originally released on February 13, 2009 the mixtape was the catalyst for Drake rise to superstardom. It also marked the first full project that the now famous duo: Drake and Noah “40” Shebib worked on together. Consequently So Far Gone had Drake finding his signature sound, fusing singing and rapping perfectly, over minimalistic banging beats.

The mixtape was the first indicator of Drake’s ability to make a cohesive, fluent project. Though Room for Improvement and Comeback Season were solid efforts, they felt more like a collection of songs then an album. So Far Gone felt like an album… a really good album. “Dropped a mixtape, that shit sounded like an album”. The way that ‘Lust for Life’ flows into ‘Houstatlantavegas‘ seamlessly, leaves no question as to whether or not these tracks were meant to be played back-to-back and this carries throughout. Anyone who has listened to the mixtape from front to back is hard pressed to listen to the tracks individually. It just doesn’t have the same vibe.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmSFP3veWyc&w=516&h=315]

So Far Gone is also where Drake really finds himself lyrically. On ‘Successful’ Drake spits, “The game need change and I’m the motherfuckin’ cashier/ Nickels for my thoughts, dimes in my bed/ Quarters of the kush shape the lines in my head”. Even haters need to admit that that’s some nice wordplay. On ‘Say What’s Real’ he spits, “Future said, Since this Ye shit you better kill/ and I think this got that making of a legend feel”. He didn’t let Future down and couldn’t have been more correct. In a recent interview 40 spoke on how his verse on ‘Say What’s Real’ served as the foundation for the sound of the entire mixtape.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDpFBSDr-yg&w=516&h=315]

It’s almost impossible to discuss So Far Gone and not mention the breakout hit ‘Best I Ever Had’. The poppy love song took over the radio and went from a mixtape cut to a #2 Billboard Top 100 smash. It also features one our favourite Drake lines of all time, “When my album drop bitches will buy it for the picture/ And niggas will buy it too and claim they got it for they sister”. Even then Drake knew he had a ton of haters and closet fans. But he wasn’t mad at it, he embraced it. Essentially telling them you can hate my image, but you can’t deny the quality of my music. The success of the single led Drake to release the So Far Gone EP in September 2009, which went Gold in the summer of 2010.

Musically, So Far Gone introduced the world to the signature OVO Sound. Low Tom drums, clear snares, distorted guitar riffs and muffled bass lines all produced, mixed and mastered by 40, set the tone for Drake’s future projects. This sound would go on to influence a number of other artists and producers alike. Drake’s So Far Gone also featured him singing and rapping over other artists tracks. It was the first true demonstration of Drake’s ability to mix rapping and singing seamlessly. Looking back, the selection of tracks to sing on seems very calculated and incredibly smart. We got a taste of some really dope R&B with tracks like ‘A Night Off’ and ‘Brand New’. Then there are the uppity pop tunes like ‘Little Bit’ and ‘Let’s Call It Off’. It’s tracks like these where listeners were exposed to his singing and in turn were prepared for tracks like ‘Shut It Down’, ‘Doing it Wrong’ and the smash hit you’ll be hearing at every wedding this year, ‘Hold On We’re Going Home’.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCWyR436n1Q&w=516&h=315]

On ‘The Calm’ Drake raps, “Leader of the new school, it’s proven and it’s known/ I’m sittin’ in a chair but in the future it’s a throne.” And over the past 5 years he’s realized just that. Drake has risen from up-and-coming Toronto mixtape rapper to a rap Kingpin. Since it’s release, Drake has received 18 Grammy nominations (Winning Best Rap Album for Take Care), Won 4 Juno’s, became the Global Ambassador for the Toronto Raptors, and surpassed Jay-Z’s record for most number one singles (10 total) on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Chart.

In light of all his success Drake exhibits no signs of slowing down. As an artist or a business man. Drake is making it clear that he is working hard to become the next Jay-Z and So Far Gone was his Reasonable Doubt.  Happy Anniversary to So Far Gone. I’m sure we’ll be bumpin’ it in another 5 years.

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