PREMIERE: SonReal Returns with Rap Opera Slapper “SOHO”

Photo courtesy of SonReal

After releasing EP For The Town to critical and commercial success last year, it looks like Vancouver-based rapper, SonReal isn’t planning on taking his foot off the gas anytime soon with new track “SOHO.” Produced by POPS—who has worked with the likes of Freddie Gibbs and The Game—the song features SonReal rapping over a bright choir and harrowing horns that culminate into a three-minute rap opera. But not before teasing that an as of yet-to-be-titled album is on the way. Listen to the track below and read what SonReal had to say about the song below.

Noisey: When did you start working on “SOHO”?
SonReal: I actually started working on it in February of [last year]. I know this because the ProTools Session is called “Pops Feb 25th”. [Toronto producer] Pops worked on the song and that’s obviously the date I started tracking on. I’ve done like 18 versions of this song so it’s kind of been a work in progress for a while.

What was the inspiration behind it?
I was just feeling the fire that day. Wanted to do something clever and hard. I never want to let people know what I’m going to do next, I just wanted to do something exciting.

What do you want people to take away from this song and the upcoming album?
This song is just an appetizer. We wanted to put something out we loved and something to get my fans excited. The album is done and we are about to roll out the first single after this. Insanely excited to show the world what we’ve been working on everyday the past year.

Byron Yan is a writer from Toronto. Follow him on Twitter.