Interview With KELO SOUL: Music, Manifestation, Ownership & Being Imperfect On Purpose
Interview by Goddess Shani (@goddess_shani) with KELO SOUL (@kelo.info)
Kelo Soul understands timing. Just weeks after catching the internet’s attention with a viral moment with J. Cole (@realcoleworld) during the Virginia stop of The Fall-Off: "Trunk Sale" tour, where he freestyled “ARTAWAY” on the spot, he returned with a new EP titled “EVERYTHING I COULD FIND.” The project feels like both a release and a reflection, capturing pieces of inspiration, pressure, and purpose in real time.
That momentum carried into Vinyl & Vibes, a community-centered gathering hosted by Music Nerds (@music__nerds_), a partnership between The Daily Note’s own Brittney (@imbrittbratt_) and Virginia DJ, Chef Dro (@chef_dro1). Held at a creative space rooted in the 757, Universal Media Hub 757, the event felt less like a function and more like a living room for music lovers.
Vinyl collectors flipped through crates, traded records, and shared stories behind their favorite finds, while others browsed elite vinyl selections from Tha Retro God (@tharetrogod). Spades and Uno tables were active, laughter carried across the room as cards were slammed on tables, and music played as a constant thread connecting everyone there. The space felt like community, comfortable and familiar.
It was in the middle of that energy, surrounded by people who genuinely love music, that I spoke with Kelo Soul to talk about music, manifestation, ownership, being imperfect on purpose, and the importance of supporting those around you.
Goddess Shani: We'll start with the J. Cole interaction. What was the energy of your interaction with J. Cole during the Fall-Off tour?
KELO SOUL: First of all, thank you for interviewing with me, so cool. I think the energy of the J. Cole interaction was like once-in-a-lifetime type energy. It was like a movie scene. And I say that in my music a lot, like my life is a movie, literally it's like a script. So it was like straight out a movie. But it was also, I feel like, divine and kinda manifested. We was riding around and I'm practicing the verse and all that, so I feel like it was divine. It was meant to happen.
GS: On one of the songs you said, "You can only check the dreams you write down." What role does physical journaling play in not only your career but your day-to-day life?
KS: That's a good question, you listening! My day-to-day life, I feel like I don't journal as much as I used to. Journaling is something I need to do more of right now, especially. I haven't written as much as maybe I would like to since the J. Cole thing. You know, I've had a lot of inspiration though still, but I think the physical part is very important. And even J. Cole, I think, writes a lot physically as well, so the physical is very important. I think to the artist as well, it's something that isn't as prominent anymore, or not prominent at all actually, right? You don't have physical sells as much, you don't have CDs, right? People are streaming. So the physical is very important. I think it's a necessary piece of the process.
GS: There was something you said about Instagram not being a real place and AI not having a real face. In the midst of promoting music and everything being numbers and views and digital, how do you stay grounded in the reality of music?
KS: I think it's the people around you. You gotta keep people around you that are, and that already have been cool with you. I think "the people" is what keeps me grounded. You know, I think social media can be a lot already. I think we are in a digital information world, so it's like there's a level that you have to do. I don't prefer to do it, personally, but I have to. So you know, it's just like all this shit is really fake, and like you know, when you look at actual statistics, numbers, what Instagram shows you is not real life. That's not necessarily real. You heard it before, how everybody shows their best versions of themselves. That's true for everybody to an extent, everybody. And then the people who do put some stuff up there, like some shit is crazy, like you shouldn't put it on social media. So it's like, what are we doing? Let's get back to real people connecting. That's what's important.
GS: What's really important?
KS: What's really important!
GS: We kept playing that one (“WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT?”) back-to-back because the beat, we kept getting lost [mesmerized] in it. I saw that you used all Virginia-based production. Why did you choose only Virginia?
KS: The guy who made that beat is from Suffolk. His name is Suff Dele (@Suffdele). Suff Dele is fire. He makes all his beats live, so it's like it's not a pattern, he's doing the whole beat with his hand the entire beat. The whole beat is his hand. -Does MIDI impersonation- Yeah, he's crazy! I saw him live one time at Utopia Feni, years ago. I got a lot by him. It's only one beat by him on this album, or on this EP, but I have a lot of songs recorded with his music. He has some crazy stuff. It's hard to follow because it's like imperfect on purpose. There's a level of imperfection to my music that it's like, fuck it, put the music out.
GS: We noticed that a lot of the songs are soulful, you choose soulful production. How do you pick it out, the beat? What are you looking for when you choose a song?
KS: I pick it just based on how I feel. He sends a beat pack, or whoever, sends a beat pack, maybe 5 beats, 10 beats, might be 25 beats. And I just play it and I can just tell, "I don't like this beat." It's like a piece of clothing, it's like a piece of art, you know, like "this not the one for me." Some stuff I don't wear because that ain't me. What I look for is live instrumentation, heavily live instrumentation. I look for that. It's soul, like spirit, it's like you gotta feel it. That's really inspired by church and gospel. I look for something that makes me feel something. That's what I'm looking for, I'm looking for a feeling.
GS: What other artists influence or inspire the music that you make?
KS: Everything, all artists inspire my music. Everything I ever heard and that I will ever hear inspires my music in some way. Like this (nods to Childish Gambino, "Me and Your Mama" chorus playing on vinyl in the background) it's a feeling, right? I can tell you what I've been listening to lately, or what I listen to a lot. I listen to a lot of PJ. PJ Morton (@pjmorton) is in everyday rotation. Freddie Gibbs (@freddiegibbs) is in the mix right now. Nickelus F (@nickelusf). Nickelus F is a Richmond rapper, formerly a ghostwriter for Drake, and really helped Drake develop himself as an artist. Drake used to spend time in Richmond. There's a Complex article (this one) about Nickelus F being a ghostwriter for Drake— Nickelus F has one of the best pens I've ever heard in my life, and it's just convenient that he happens to live in Richmond. He show love, and I know him, and I got beats that he made. I saw him a couple weeks ago and got to rapping on some shit that he did, so he's definitely a big person. Big shout out to Nickelus F, Radio B (@radioblitz), and T-Rifik (@rifik87), and all the people that's, you know, the old heads that's actually doing cool stuff, because it's a lot of people that's burnt out.
GS: I saw that you chose a pay-what-you-can/what-you-want feature, in regard to how your album is distributed. What made you choose that? Especially since now it's been receiving a lot of criticism with that style?
KS: OK, OK. You know, I don't know if I see the criticism. I guess I don't know if maybe I'm siloed in an area where I'm focused on a different way. People that I look up to do that, or value ownership, Jay-Z, Kanye, or Nipsey, LaRussell, people like that that are contemporary. But I feel like I live my whole life to make this music, it's worth at least $1, on me and my mom and everybody I know. Spotify ain't give me a dollar. I like the platform and it's a necessary piece of the puzzle, but right now it's like, if you really want to support me, let me know so I can know, so we can figure out how we can unlock that shit and build it together. I think right now 70 people bought my project. All 70 of y'all, like what we bout to do? And then I’mma put it on streaming next week.
KELO SOUL’s “EVERYTHING I COULD FIND” is available now on EVEN, where listeners can support the project directly and choose what they want to pay. It will be available on all streaming services March 27, 2026 and we are excited to see his journey!
Find the project here.