Wilmington's most successful rapper returns to headline hip-hop-centric festival
Back in the day, Wilmington-based rapper Solemn Brigham was a regular at hip-hop open mics held at since-closed downtown music venues like 16 Taps (where Bourgie Nights is now) and the Soapbox (where the Waffle House is now).
Safe to say Brigham's star has risen a bit since then.
As half of the hip-hop duo Marlowe with Wilmington native L'Orange, who Brigham met while both were attending the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the late 2000s, he gets over 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. He gets another 100k for his solo work. His music has been featured in commercials (Gatorade, 7-Eleven), videogames ("NBA 2K22," "Fortnite") and on nationwide sports broadcasts. Marlowe has debuted albums at No. 1 on the iTunes hip-hop charts in the United Kingdom and done sold-out club tours in the UK and Europe. In August, Marlowe was featured on PBS series Southern Sounds.
Now, on Friday, Oct. 13, Brigham will perform in his hometown for the first time in over a decade when he headlines 3 Chambers Fest at Waterline Brewing on Friday. The two-day, multi-event festival masterminded by Wilmington filmmaker Christopher Everett ("Wilmington on Fire") is an uncommon blend of hip-hop, martial arts and anime culture.
Port City events: 20 things to do: Wilmington weekend is filled with touring concerts, homegrown festivals
"What we're trying to do is a big deal, and having him is a big deal," Everett said. "We're all about shaking it up and doing something a bit different."
"I love his whole perspective," Everett said of Brigham. "His wordplay, his flow. His energy. He's versatile."
In addition to Friday's performance by Brigham at Waterline, which will be hosted by old-school Wilmington rapper Fuzz Jaxx and include sets by Brooklyn rapper Skyzoo and Wilmington's own Louis. and MoeSOS DC, 3 Chambers Fest will include a Saturday screening of Wilmington-shot cult film "The Crow" at UNCW's Kenan Auditorium with a live hip-hop/jazz/funk score remixed by Washington, D.C., group Shaolin Jazz.
As a rapper, Brigham is known for his intense, rapid-fire style and for lyrics that can range from dark (modern-day classic "The Basement") to braggadocious (the jaunty "Half Life"). His introspective 2021 solo album "South Sinner Street" was inspired by growing up in small towns near Charlotte, where he was raised by his mother, sisters and aunts after his father, who is pictured on the album's cover, died when Brigham was 12.
More: How Wilmington's hip-hop scene navigates 'love-hate relationship' with the city
His most recent releases are "The Green Monster," a split single with Stik Figa and The Expert, and "Last Reserve," Marlowe's final single for the Mello Music Group label now that L'Orange has started his own label, Old Soul, which Marlowe is now on.
As his success has grown, Brigham, 33, has continued to live in Wilmington, where his children live. Over sliders, chili cheese fries and beer one recent afternoon at Rebellion downtown, he said 3 Chambers Fest felt like the right opportunity for him to finally perform a show in Wilmington.
"This is a hip-hop festival that I haven't really seen the likes of, going on tour in other countries even," Brigham said. "So for it to be happening in my hometown, I would probably be almost, like, really jealous if I wasn't doing it."
During the following interview, which has been condensed and edited for clarity, Brigham talked about what inspires him, his partnership with L'Orange and how Wilmington has influenced him as an artist.
StarNews: So, how do you feel about doing your first Wilmington show in more than 10 years?
Solemn Brigham: It feels good to be a part of this, knowing there's going to be local talent out there. I started making music in Wilmington, you know, it was 2008-2009. So you know, I had Fuzz Jackson, MindsOne to look up to, and these are great guys in the community.
It's wild, because as popular as hip-hop is, Waterline, along with Jimmy's and a couple of other places, is one of the only places in Wilmington to have live hip-hop.
And it didn't used to be like that. We used to have different clubs, and to see it reduced over time, you know, it kind of feels intentional. I'd like for it to come back to Wilmington, hopefully through things like this. I hope that this can be the start of showing more people that hey, this is a town that's interested in listening to hip-hop music. This is a town that's full of artists and maybe we can bring the music back, maybe more people, small business owners will be inspired to open up these venues again.
So, you're in Marlowe with L'Orange but you're performing here as a solo artist.
I am on Old Soul as Marlowe and I am on Mello Music Group as a solo artist. So right now I'm signed to both, but my next project is set to release with Mello Music.
And that'll be your second solo album?
My second solo album. And I'm extremely excited about it. (It's going to be out) sometime next year. I'm producing this next one, so I really want to make sure I take my time. I know a lot of people are going to be listening.
What makes a Solemn Brigham solo song as opposed to one for Marlowe? Do you go into writing knowing this is going to be Marlowe or this is going to be solo?
Absolutely. When I'm working with L'Orange, I know that I'm making a Marlowe joint so my mentality is fixated on our experience. What have we gone through lately? It might be something that hasn't even happened to me, it just happened to L'Orange. When it's just myself, it tends to be more reflective. It tends to be more personal. This next album I want to make a bit more melodic, even more melodic than before. And really delve deeper into that emotion.
You get into some pretty heavy stuff, talking about your upbringing with your dad.
A lot of my inspiration comes from trauma, traumatic events that either I or we as Marlowe have experienced. Losing my father, you kind of needed him during your formative years and not having him influenced me. When it develops you like that, you start finding silver linings. So, my mentality now is that I'm not glad that it happened, but I would be a different individual if it didn't. Maybe I would have never dedicated my life to music. I wanted to share that, and I felt like maybe people who've been through the same thing will relate. But that's not the entirety of my life. I'm a father. I have beautiful daughters. And I was mostly raised by women after my father passed. I was able to see all their life stories. And my life was really infused with a lot of love. So, I started thinking, maybe it's time that I pull from a different place. And I've started doing that with this most recent album and the music sounds a bit happier.
What can people expect at the live show?
A little mix of everything. I'm gonna be playing some "Marlowe" one, "Marlowe 2," "Marlow 3." Playing some "South Sinner Street." I'm really excited. I'm used to doing these hour-long sets overseas during the tours and this is going to be close to that, around 40-45 minutes but still jam-packed with stuff. I'm having a hard time eliminating songs.
What's your take on Old Soul, the new record label L'Orange started that Marlowe is now on? Did you see that coming?
I always saw it coming because his mind is never one who rests on small ambitions. It's not just self interest for him. He has a vision for where hip-hop is going in the future. And I think that he's based his label off of that.
How has living in Wilmington all these years influenced your music?
The culture of Wilmington and being in the South resonates with me because that is the entirety of my life. So when I speak about my life, I'm also speaking about traumas that was also experienced. Early on I tried not to make it too political or too racial, but being in Wilmington has made me feel more secure in representing myself and representing where I come from. (Wilmington rapper) Fuzz Jackson, (hip-hop/jazz combo) Organix, all that was taught to me when I came here. I also have a background and love for a lot of commercial music, a lot of pop music. I have a pop mentality. I will take our underground vibe and I'll make it exciting. I think I'm good at that. I think that's why we've been able to connect more than just in America.
Want to go?
What: 3 Chambers Fest
When: Oct. 13-14
Where: Waterline Brewing, Sokoto House and Kenan Auditorium
Tickets: See below
Details: 3chambers.com
SCHEDULE
Oct. 13: Solemn Brigham, with Skyzoo, Louis., MoeSOS DC and SkyBlew. Hosted by Fuzz Jaxx with Bigg B. 8 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show at Waterline, $10 in advance, $20 at the door.
Oct. 14: QiGong in the Garden with Shihan White Owl, 8 a.m. at Sokoto House. $20 in advance, $30 day of class.
Oct. 14: Can I Kick It?, an interactive film screening with Shaolin Jazz doing a live remix of cult classic action film "The Crow." 6 p.m. doors, 7 p.m. martial arts demo. $20 in advance, $30 day of show. $15 for UNCW students.
Oct. 14: Anime After-Party at Waterline Brewing, 10 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Solemn Brigham of Marlowe to headline 3 Chambers Fest in Wilmington
