Though there are hundreds of artists that have influenced the start of BPS, the sound of BPS, and artists involved here, there are five specific artists that influenced operation since 2021. While we additionally have paid homage to those artists in our work, let’s discuss who those artists are and why they’re vital to what Bulletproof Soul is.
Sade
Sade was in a sense the birth of Neo-Soul. In 1984, the release of Diamond Life was second wind of soul for the culture. Sade’s influence would continue in the culture as she went on to albums like Promise, Stronger Than Pride, Love Deluxe, and Lovers Rock. As her career advanced, we saw the birth of New Jack Swing and then a new era of contemporary R&B incorporating unconventional sounds like Sade did. This genre of sound would develop into Neo-Soul. So with Sade being arguably the foremost pioneer of Neo-Soul, and Neo-Soul being a at the forefront of Bulletproof Soul’s sound, BPS was partially named after the Sade song “Bullet Proof Soul”.
BTS
This one might be a surprise, but the stranglehold BTS had on the culture and the fandom they accrued is culturally very impressive. BTS is also a large collective and group of artists. To be once again culturally referential, Bulletproof Soul’s acronym became BPS.
Odd Future
The most well-known music collective from the past few decades is arguably OFWGKTA, better known as Odd Future. Consisting of acts like Frank Ocean and Tyler the Creator, very similar artists to BPS, Odd Future pushed creative boundaries. Odd Future also incorporated non-music artists, an influence on Bulletproof Soul being an entertainment conglomerate and art collective as well.
Soulquarians
The most talent-laden collective perhaps we have ever seen in Soulquarians, consisting of Erykah Badu, Bilal, Common, D’Angelo, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pino Palladino, James Poyser, Q-Tip, Questlove, and of course J Dilla. Soulquarians produced one of the greatest runs in music we have ever seen, especially if you take into account how unique the sound was. From The Roots’ Things Fall Apart, Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides, Common’s Like Water for Chocolate, to Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun, the sound selection and arrangements from the likes of J Dilla, Questlove, D’Angelo and more brought eclectic, ethereal, and vibrant compositions to the world like never before. Unsurprisingly, their name consisted of the word soul.
Native Tongues
Another collective with A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah and more was birthed in the late 80s and spanned across the 90s. De La Soul and Tribe would become the most legendary Hip-Hop groups to grace Hip-Hop. While De La Soul and Tribe dominated the space, Jungle Brothers would also meanwhile pave the way for revolutionary pro-Black messaging in their music. All three of these groups were influences for their pro-Black, community-based souls.
Stay tuned for upcoming content from Bulletproof Soul. For more from the Bulletproof Soul gang, stream Nyyjerya, Lofty305, DJ Sabrina, Angela Davis, Amouranth, Alek Oni, Elektrip, SLWJMZ, TWENTYN9NE, JACOB SONGS, Ali Wisdom, Kengeta, and Austin.