Sound Providers

Formed: 1998 | San Diego, CA

The Sound Providers are a jazz rap duo formed by producers Jay Skillz and Soulo (3). Formed in 1998 in San Diego, California, it originally included a third member, an MC named artist 97826, who left the group shortly before they were signed by ABB Records. The Sound Providers produced a number of singles before releasing their debut album [m41320], recorded and produced in San Diego and Los Angeles, in 2004 on ABB Records. Without artist 97826, The SPs filled the void by bringing in a number of guest artists: artist 82068, artist 229159, artist 172035, artist 66043 and artist 206415 all made contributions to the album. Soulo (3), although fulfilling the role of DJ/producer, is known to occasionally spit on the mic. He only raps briefly on the debut, but rapped on a number of their earlier tracks.

In early 2006 they released another album entitled [m674978], which is a compilation of earlier songs made when artist 97826 was still a member of the group. These songs were previously available only as 12" singles. The album also includes a number of radio promos and other beats and songs which had never seen the light of day before.

In 2006 The Pros also completed a full-length album with an emcee from Tampa, Florida named artist 346045. The album is entitled [m41338], and the first single [r702734] was released in June of the same year. The full length album was released on 14 November 2006 on Quarternote Records / ABB Records

The Sound Providers sound is predominately jazz orientated hip hop, though their work can consist of a much wider array of genres. Their style is a mix of socially conscious lyrics with new school rap beats, with samples taken from jazz, funk, and reggae. They have cited artists such as Gang Starr and the artist 114820 as influences for their work.