Chai Tulani Lays Down His Soul Hop Sound on New Single, 'Mine'

For many people, the United States brings up thoughts and images of an "American Dream". But what does that even look like? For hip hop/soul artist, Chai Tulani, his journey to success started on the other side of the world. Yet today, he stands as a rising music artist with a sense of purpose and a strong body of work. Tulani was born in Kenya and came to America as a young boy. His mother is Kenyan but his father is from Chicago, so his family eventually moved to the states. His journey brought him to produce a unique sound he calls, "soul hop".

Tulani's sound and style is influenced by the style and swagger of hip-hop as well as the soulfulness of R&B and singer-songwriters like Bob Marley and Tracy Chapman. His newest release is entitled "Mine". The track offers a synthesized yet soulful vocal performance and highly lyrical wordplay. On the track, Tulani sings some nice high notes in his countertenor voice, " I thought you'd be mine, its ok I'l be fine." The song also features singer, Ember Nicole.

"You now that p*ssy's still mine..."

The song has a sexy trap beat mixed with a progressive r&b feel. But there are no rules to good music. The experimental, genre bending vibes are just fine with me. I'm sure most listeners will agree. Music has been a passion of Tulani's for most of his life. His father is a percussionist and Tulani largely grew up listening to music from the Congo. Tulani's parents wanted him to play piano to acquire a variety of music-making skills beyond guitar or voice.