Full Album Stream: Choklate

As summer on the left coast starts to heat up, along comes the birth of a stunning new soul artist. The debut full length by Choklate is equal parts soul, gritty hip hop and a sound and songwriting standard that we all wish commercial R&B would have grown up to be. This album is deep, progressive, smart and jam packed with a songwriting like we've simply not seen in a very long time. A soul vocalist who speaks on change, love, passion and poverty from a place of realism that somehow isn't questioned. Not for a second.

Born in Seattle, WA and raised in San Diego, Choklate has always in one way or another been involved with music or dance. This young lady's career began at the age of 23 in Seattle, Wa at one of it's most famous live music nights, Jumbalaya.

She was raised on Gospel, but was introduced to hip-hop by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's 'Parents Just Don't Understand'. "It was the first song and only video allowed in the house. I used to sneak and listen to the radio so low that all I could hear sometimes was the beat. I called it 'Music Deprivation Disease'.

Beside the gospel, it was hard for Choklate to to hear much soul music at home, so when finally out on her own, she recalls having her ear to everything from Bach and Yo Yo Ma to Brotha Lynch Hung. "I love all genres for the most part."

This debut however, is an amalgamation of many sounds from the mind of Seattle's own super producer, Vitamin D (DJ Nu Mark, De La Soul).D brought in and deftly engineered live horn sections, and full instrumentation over his signature edgy but sexy smooth beats.

Choklate has recently been sighted on releases by Breakestra (as well as being the guest lead vocalist on their Feb/Mar 2006 world tour!), De La Soul, Supernat, Byrdie, Beyond Reality, Illuzions, Boom Bap Project, Framework, Damian Black, Blacksheep, Abstract Rude, Butta Verses, Gift of Gab, and Chali 2na's solo albums.

Choklate is steady at work on more new music and gearing up for worldwide touring schedule to follow the release of this incredible record.

"I'd like to think that I'm going to be allowed to have my chance to be apart of the game changing conceptually..." she says..."everybody should be able to relate to the material that I write, after all I ain't the only one livin life and I fa sho ain't the only one writin about it. I just hope to reach those livin life along side me. All I need is my beat, my mic, that stage, the crowd and I'm good..." - Choklate