Sole, aka Tim Holland, put out his first vinyl at age 16.Since then he has been at the forefront of independent rap. In '98 he launched the label anticon and helped spearhead a genre of alternative hip-hop. Sole’s first two official albums Bottle of Humans and Selling Live Water solidified his status as indie rap trendsetter and achieved critical success in magazines like Playboy, Spin, Rolling Stone, etc. In 2003 sole moved to Barcelona and spent two years touring his motherland and recorded his 2005 album Live From Rome.

Sole is one of the most prolific artists amongst his peers. Aside form his official studio albums, sole has released a slew of self-produced albums on his own imprint, Black Canyon. The mansbestfriend series is sole’s take on experimental electronic music. To date, sole has released 5 mansbestfriend records and the project has achieved cult status. As of late, sole has received a lot of attention for his Nuclear Winterseries, where he applies the Situationist method of detournement to make political statements out of mainstream rap songs.

Upon returning to the states, sole established a new project called “Sole and the Skyrider band,” with Florida natives “Skyrider” to experiment with a post rock hip-hop aesthetic. They toured the globe relentlessly from 06-09. In late 09 the band relocated to Denver Colorado, laid low, and re-emerged with an entirely new sound and approach. Hello Cruel World is a document of what pop rap music can and should be.