Arts

Art and soul of the underground adolescent

 

Houston native, Stetson Leon Rhodes is not just your everyday “rapper with a dream,” but an individual who has intentions to change the urban industry with his story. 

The young artist is working to release Youth from his three-part music project, Youth Soul Love and is anticipating his new clothing line, Dynasty XXIILIX coming out this winter. 

The artist’s stage name is evident, Youth Soul Love and describes Rhodes to the “T”. He loves the art of combining emotions, beats and sound has unique sense of fashion. Youth Soul Love has taken pride in creating his own sense of style and music. 

“Everyone is trying to do the same thing, which I considered was my greatest weakness,” he said. “However, after I matured and grew up I changed and used a different mindset to step out the box.” 

Several people say his music is unique and different from current mainstream artists because of the way he delivers.  At just 24 years old, the diamond in the rough does not consider his music hip-hop. His friends call him a poet, but the artist says he is just “telling a story.” 

Throughout his musical entrepreneurship, he has opened up to several artists like Nappy Roots, Stalley and Raw Papers, and has met urban designer Nicky Diamonds. 

“I met Nicky at a club called Boondocks. We talked fashion and I showed him a belt he designed that I changed with my own taste,”  he  said. 

According to Youth Soul Love, Diamonds loved the belt and said how “dope it was because he never seen anything like it before.” 

The young artist is good friends with one of Dallas’ prominent disc jockeys, DJ Sober One, who was the DJ at Dirk Nowitzki’s wedding reception in August, and at Erykah Badu’s birthday bash. He is also Rhodes’ mentor. Sober One took him under his wing three years ago and has opened him up to a lot of “vintage oldies.” 

“I remember when he used to sneak me into Boondocks because I was too young to get in,” said Youth Soul Love.

Since his high school days, Youth Soul Love has been strongly engaged in fashion and was the first to use fabric paint and glitter on shoes in 2004. He has evolved into a designer and is the co-owner of Dynasty XXIILIX. The clothing line was sparked in June 2012 because he and his partners wanted to create a business that was based on family and longevity. Their theme for the line is “wear your imagination,” which encourages people to wear what they feel through fashion. 

Besides his current music project and clothing line, Rhodes has an album in the works called Black Roses, the reincarnation of Youth Soul Love, and is competing to perform at The Unsigned Tour. 

In order for Youth Soul Love to perform, he has to have the most votes. To cast your vote for him, go http://www.theunsignedtour.com/vote and enter “Youth Soul Love.” You can also find his music at http://soundcloud.com/youth-oul-love and keep up to date with YSL check out http://www.dynastyxxiilix.com.