For artists, the line between artistic credibility and popular acceptance is a slippery one. This is especially true for the gritty Detroit hip-hop scene built on a tradition of battle rapping.  While it can make for a good start, those that rise above have something extra that makes them stand out. For this dedicated few, music is more than a combination of words and music. It is something deeper—a calling that they’re born into.  It lives in their blood and comes out of their soul.  This dedication to hard work and to craft can be said to apply to Detroit’s own-rapper and actor, Carlos “Sol” Guadarrama. We had a chance to interview him in a Mexican restaurant in Southwest Detroit, where he told us about his past and shared his future with us.

Sol’s exposure to hip-hop began at an early age.  His uncle was in a breakdancing crew and helped to provide him some of his initial exposure.  Hip-hop wasn’t just what he listened to, but, what he also lived.  It was his chance performance, as a 7^th grader at a high school dance, that helped to set his path.

 

“I went on stage at a high school dance.  One of my boys was beatboxing and I was freestyling,” he calmly recalled.  A gently proud look came across his face as he continued. “I’ve been a fan of rap music, since I was five or six years old. Back then, there wasn’t a label on it.  It was a way of life. It was a movement.”

Though bitten by the performing bug, Sol still wasn’t yet a performer.  His next step was to DJ.  Unlike those whose intention is to build a reputation in the party scene, Sol started off in a more low-key way.  He started in the privacy of his room—consisting mostly of making mixtapes for friends.  From the beginning, Sol’s mom was key in helping him get his start.

“I got into DJing for a minute.  This was back in the days of vinyl.  I went to New York with my ma.  Our sole purpose was to buy a turntable and mixer.  We made a vacation out of it,” he said with a smile that subtly crept across his face.  “Wherever I saw vinyl, I would pick it up.  I didn’t do parties or anything—strictly me in my bedroom making mixtapes for people.  From here, it progressed into rhyming.”

During his evolution from DJ to lyricist, Sol also made the leap from the West Coast gangsta rap that he grew up with.  This leap was a revelation that opened up his eyes to the range of themes that he could write about.

“I listened to a lot of West Coast growing up.  But the first CD that I listened to that’s a classic was Nas’ Illmatic.  Listen to it and you’ll get the origins of hip-hop.  My boy brought it to me and said, ‘Listen to it.  Listen to what he has to say.”

Sol’s voice slow grew passionate, as he told the story.  “When I listened to Nas’ lyrics, it opened up my eyes.  It opened a door to me.  It wasn’t all about gangbanging and shooting guns.  It turned me into a lyricist.”

 

In his songs, he writes about many things. Most of Sol’s themes draw from some part of real life.  They range from partying all the way up to the deepest questions that we all think about.  The notable thing is that one of the biggest sources of inspiration is books.  No matter what he writes about, he then performs it with at least as much conviction. With artists, there is no middle ground. It is what separates an artist from someone that’s playing.

“They [books] give me a lot to rap about.  They give me the insight—spirituality and the human mind.  I have songs about death, songs about the afterlife.  A lot of artists might only do songs about one thing.  I can’t do that.  I write about the life that I was living at the time.  It’s what’s going on.  Artists are passionate about anything that they do.  If you love a girl, you love a girl.”

One of the things that I had to ask him about was about his recent role in Gran Torino, which was one of the few speaking roles for Latinos.  Sol also had a small role in the Hillary Swank movie, Betty Anne Waters that was filmed here in Detroit. The story behind getting the role in Gran Torino shows that very often in life, it’s who you know that will provide you with those opportunities that will help you get ahead.

 

“I know this guy named White Boy that’s been Eminem’s assistant for like eight years.  We [White Boy] hadn’t talked in awhile.  All of a sudden, I got a phone call out of the blue. This lady called looking for Latinos for a movie role.”

“I thought that they were looking for extras.  She sent an email first.  The problem is that when they called, the part was already cast.  I told her, ‘Give me a chance.  I won’t disappoint.’  She asked, “How old are you? I told her 25.  She said, ‘No.  This role is for an 18 year old.’” If you were to look at him, you would think that Sol is a few years younger than his 25 years.

“I felt that I could do the role.  She told me, ‘Okay, come on Monday.  If we don’t find somebody, we’ll go to LA and we don’t want to do that.  I practiced all weekend and I killed it! I improvised a bit.  She called and said that I had the part.  She said that Clint Eastwood picked me out of about 150 people.  There were some prominent Latinos that went up for the part.  You’d know who they are.”  Unfortunately, he wouldn’t budge and provide details.

As you can imagine, one of the best parts about working on the movie was working with Clint Eastwood.  Sol was fortunate enough to share some screen time with him.  During the interview, he had nothing but the highest compliments toward Eastwood.

“I met Clint Eastwood.  He was a cool guy, real laid back.  Not like those Hollywood types. He came up to me and gave me some acting tips,” Sol said with a nostalgic chuckle.  “He asked me, ‘Give me some of that chinga tu madre shit.’  I told him, ‘I think that I can do that.”

During his 25 years, both he and Southwest Detroit have experienced a lot of change.  In a way, both are inextricably connected.  This was something that Sol recalled their past while looking forward to the future.

“It’s improved a lot.  People wouldn’t come down here.  We have suburbanites coming. We’ve invested our money into ourselves,” he said, explaining how things used to be.  “I feel that right now I’m where I should be.  I’m not going to be a doctor or a lawyer.  I rap and I act.  God gives you tools and you have to use them.”

Confidence, a sense of direction and drive seem to spur Sol on in all of his different pursuits.  If his songs like “Lost” and “How We Roll” featuring Trick Trick, or his role in Gran Torino are any indication of the future, then his is bright indeed.  Sol shines like a diamond in the rough and is poised for his big breakthrough whether in music or in acting. I’ll leave the last words for Sol.

“Everyday, I feel that there aren’t enough hours.  I feel that you get what you put into it. It’s who you know that’ll get you there.  It’s what you know that will keep you there.“

Click on the links below to hear some of Sol’s favorite hits

Make sure to view his MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/carlosguadarrama.

 

 

Author: José A. Rodrí­guez
Photo: Renée Gonyeau
Gran Torino photo: Carlos “Sol” Guadarrama