Solene, a.k.a. Solene Velvet, is a Los Angeles-based singer and a leading voice in the cyber jazz movement—a genre-bending fusion of smoky jazz vocals, nostalgia-inducing lofi beats, and cyberpunk noir aesthetics. After touring with hip hop icon Talib Kweli, she released her album Midnight Angel earlier this year. The album was produced by J. Rawls, a foundational figure in jazz-hop known for his work with Black Star and The Liquid Crystal Project.

Originally a traditional jazz vocalist, Solene’s sound is a reflection of the artists that shaped her: Portishead, Ella Fitzgerald, and Erykah Badu. She first emerged with “Downer Vibe,” a jazz-hop collaboration with Japanese producer Minthaze that caught the attention of Griselda's Grammy-winning producer Conductor Williams, leading to their acclaimed EP Book of Shadows. The two continue to collaborate. However, her 2024 album Chase the Stars marked a creative breakthrough, achieving over 4 million streams, earning her the fan-bestowed title of "The Mother of Cyber Jazz", and solidifying her signature style: cinematic, sultry, and deeply atmospheric. Along the way she has also collaborated with hiphop heavyweights like Paul Wall, AZ, Jeru The Damaja, and Statik Selektah.

Never one to be boxed in, Solene recently released a dark, noir-inspired track with acclaimed jazz-fusion artist SERAPHINE NOIR, further cementing herself in the modern jazz fusion space. Followed by the release of her collaborative album with J. Rawls Midnight Angel and a growing global audience, Solene is redefining jazz for a digital, genreless future.

J. Rawls:

J. Rawls is known in the independent hip-hop and soul music scene for his Hip Hop production. A producer and DJ, he first gained prominence on the national scene after his work with Black Star, a hip hop group composed of Mos Def and Talib Kweli. The album Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star was critically acclaimed as one of the best albums of 1998 and was a major force in the late-1990s underground hip hop explosion. Rawls has also worked with artists such as Black Thought, Busta Rhymes, Dave Chappelle, and beyond. Rawls has released three solo albums and contributed to the NEO-SOUL movement producing the likes of Aloe Blacc, Eric Roberson, Dudley Perkins, and many others. Fusing jazz and hip hop, (coining the term “Jazz-Hop”) his 2006 work with The Liquid Crystal Project led to national acclaim. His Columbus-based production company and record label continues to make an impact on the national hip hop scene.

Rawls is featured in the Smithsonian’s Places of Invention exhibit and co-authored Youth Culture Power with John Robinson as part of Dr. Christopher Emdin’s #HipHopEd series. He also co-created the first Hip-Hop Based Education program in higher ed – Hip Hop Ohio Patton Education (HOPE) – and now leads the development of one of the nation’s first Hip Hop Studies programs at Ohio State. Dr. Rawls is also an educator with nearly two decades of K–12 and 10 years of higher education experience. Currently an Assistant Professor of Hip Hop at The Ohio State University, he has presented workshops on the music industry, Hip Hop Education, and beat making at major universities nationwide.