We’re kicking off the year with a new (very biased) SolShock Spotify playlist highlighting Long Beach underground music. Announcing: Long Beach Underground | Chill. This chill-edition highlights California-based independent artists from Long Beach, to L.A. and The Bay. Enjoy nearly one hour of music from the most burgeoning local musicians in electronic, soul, jazz, and hip hop. Listen here

Long Beach Underground | Chill Tracklist:

1. Steppin In on Beautiful: DJ Drez, Zaire Black
2. Winter in America (feat. Dave Williams on trumpet): – S.O.U.L.-O.
3. Starship Bixby 6060: Armchair Generals
4. Arrive: Aloe Blacc
5. Up and Down: Shy but Flyy
6. Temptation: Rashondra Angelle
7. BAMBOO: Rashondra Angelle, Sharreace, S.O.U.L.-O.
8. Beach Crusin’ In the LBC: Chadwick Bishop, Philosophy
9. Who do you love – Live: Shy but Flyy
10. Portals: Jimetta Rose, Voices of Creation
11. In the Sky: Marlon D.
12. Crazy (feat. Tony Ozier): J Ross Parrelli
13. Day x Day: Slim da Reazon, Jus Beyond, Darynn Dean, Joel Van Dijk, Shammy Dee
14. Wars on Mars: S.O.U.L.-O.
15. Clear: Armchair Generals

Should we make this a collaborative playlist? Drop a comment to share who else we should add!

For those who are new to SolShock — no, you are not seeing double. Multiple tracks by the same artist are included to showcase this niche community of musicians who all share a common goal and love music. We’ve worked together, produced and performed together, we support each other, and we listen to each other’s music.

The first to kick off this Long Beach underground music playlist is DJ Drez and Zaire Black. Both are well-known for their unique musical talents. The ‘sound ambassador’ and beatmaker, DJ Drez pairs with artist and emcee, Zaire Black for a mostly-instrumental track that emits a feel-good vibe and sets the tone for the playlist.

Armchair Generals are a bonafide cornerstone of SolShock. The band and music production crew has provided sounds to the masses since 2000. They experienced a surge in popularity in the mid-2000s with the release of their second electronic music album, ‘The Lunchbox,’ and self-titled EP. Bandcamp is their online hub where their worldwide fanbase grabs new Armchair Generals music.

Shy but Flyy steadily keeps the music scene abuzz throughout Long Beach and L.A. From her playful vocal performances onstage to her get-down musicianship and banter with multiple bands, Shy but Flyy has proven to be a staple in the underground music scene. The blues and jazz singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, and musician recently performed in London, UK and has her musical sights set high.

S.O.U.L.-O. is a mainstay in the Long Beach and Los Angeles underground music scene. He can be seen spinning music from San Diego to The Bay. As a DJ, beatmaker, tastemaker, artist, and producer, S.O.U.L.-O has graced many stages, studios, and decks with his gifted ear and turntablist talents. His launch of Beats Rhymes Soul Production bolstered his pledge to the winding roads of entrepreneurship where he drives the creative direction for his multi-use recording studio and performance space. As a consistent collaborator, S.O.U.L.-O. often enhances his hip hop, jazz, and soul instrumental tracks with live music, as heard on the playlist’s second track, featuring jazz trumpeter and MajicBulletTheory frontman, Dave Williams.

Always a feather in his cap; always a spoken word to wrap your head around with lingering praise. He is Philosophy, aka, Charlie E. Scott III. The L.A. poetry community has lifted him up since the dawn of FlyPoet. He has hosted the Spoken Word Fest as part of the annual Pan-African Film Festival and has produced dozens of showcases along with music and poetry projects. His collaboration with soul crooner, Chadwick Bishop, on the eighth song on this playlist, takes the listener on a fun and vivid journey through the streets of the LBC.

Aloe Blacc is an award-winning and Grammy-nominated artist whose early work on Stones Throw Records gave rise to his long-standing career in pop music. The Orange County native composed gritty, sensual R&B grooves like, “Arrive” from his 2006 album, Shine Through. Aloe Blacc is included in this playlist on straight-up nostalgic vibes, taking it back to the days of “Remedy – The Soul Soothing Experience” — an 80’s style house party that was thrown right in the middle of a jazz club called Cotton Club West (now known as Roscoe’s Jazz Lounge). Following a successful rap career as one half of the duo, Emanon, with hip hop producer, Exile, Aloe Blacc set out on a solo singing path and performed there live. It was a TIME! Ask one of the Armchair Generals or someone from the Park Jam crew about it.

Jimetta Rose helped give vision to an inspiring blog post on SolShock.com for emerging artists. The multi-talented singer-songwriter has become synonymous with words like service and celebration as the human love offering and leader of soul/jazz choir, The Voices of Creation. Ms. Rose is a Los Angeles native and boasts five albums; hundreds of collabs; vocal, writing, and production credits; and a recent European tour. She’s been on the scene since the early 2000s and there is probably not one music-loving Angeleno who has not seen or heard her sing. When it comes to her voice and the unison of her community choir, one thing is for certain: positive vibrations will take place. Jimetta Rose and The Voices of Creation are up for a 2025 GRAMMY Award for best progressive R&B album.

Marlon D. is one of the most consistent independent artists in the underground scene. The multi-talented rapper and hip hop artist from Oxnard, CA., has been actively making music since 2006 and has no plans of stopping. He dropped five albums in 2020 during COVID and burst the podcast phenomenon wide open with his mental health-focused pod, MD Podcast. The weekly topical series features interviews with creatives and professionals discussing everything from music commentary to day-to-day living. Marlon D. is proud of his Filipino roots and aims to reach as many people as possible through his pod and artistic endeavors.

J Ross Parelli has toured the globe with her unique blend of song, poetry, rap, and storytelling. Her musical style blends genres and her words run deep like a thought-provoking, visual, verbal cornucopia. The Bay area songstress has performed and won rap competitions as an emcee, and was an award-winning recording artist with Universal Records. Known as both sultry and conscientious, Ms. J Ross showcases her flair for sign-of-the-times topics and lyrical leadership on track 11 of this playlist. Her community-based organization is a combination of hip hop education and performing arts.

The evolution of Slim da Reazon from Cincinnati-indie to California-cool kid has been nothing short of exciting. The multi-talented artist, writer, musician, voice-over actor, photographer, and member of Urban Renewal Project has come a long way from his ‘hip-rock’ debut. We’re encouraged to take life day by day on track 13 where Matthew “Slim da Reazon” Parham puts his low vocal range in high gear and dispels the notion of reckless fast-living. He’s joined by producer Jus Beyond, the musical alias of actor, Arjay Smith, creating a soulfully chilled-out collaboration.

Oh yeah, track 7—that’s me!

Rashondra Angelle‘s career as a singer-songwriter began in the early 2000s like others on this playlist, yet she maintains a fresh new sound with each release. The R&B and spoken word artist lends vocal stylings with ease, whether she’s working with hip hop producers, jazz musicians, or writing her own indie hip hop/soul. I’m especially proud of the buzz surrounding her debut album, which led to our 2023 collaboration, “BAMBOO.” Rashondra Angelle has more house music, dance tracks, 90’s-era R&B, and undefined sounds in the works.

The photo for the Long Beach Underground |Chill Spotify playlist cover was taken by Chris Robertson Photography. The founder of SolShock.com models “Visionaries” upcycled fashion by Native Sol.