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Meet Adrian Gonzalez aka Roc Sol

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrian Gonzalez aka Roc Sol.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I developed a passion for both music and art in different periods of my life. With music, I would say it started in middle school in the early 2000s after I saw the movie 8 Mile. The movie really inspired me to start learning more about the culture of hip-hop. Throughout the years, I started listening to old school hip hop while still enjoying the music that was being released at the time. I was big on learning about the culture and really knowing the history of hip-hop. With art, I have always had a passion for art at a very early age. My dad is a graphic designer, and I remember watching him paint and create artwork from a young age that it inspired me to be an artist as well as the years went on. Once I started college, I found an interest in graffiti art, and I began to learn how to be a graffiti writer. In college is where I met a few friends that really got me into the local hip-hop underground scene. At the time, I started to learn breakdancing as well and really became involved with the elements of hip hop through emceeing, graffiti, and breaking. I would find myself skipping school to go paint graffiti pieces on track sides and later on in the day I would go to a local hip hop spot named Catalyst Hip Hop to break with my friends. We did this on a daily basis. Later on, I focused more on music and started recording songs. My first mixtape was released in 2013 called Tracksides: Volume 1 and within that project, I really tried to incorporate everything I was passionate about when it came to the hip hop culture. After the project, I took a break from music to focus on my art. I began teaching art and music to kids through a nonprofit, which led to me being inspired by the creativity of these kids that I was teaching. I began to find my own style outside of graffiti and developed an abstract style with my patterns and characters that still have a graffiti influence but has evolved into something more. In 2017, I met Winsome Bolt, who is an art director at Mindwarehouse and one of the biggest supporters of my art. She gave me the opportunity to host my first solo gallery art show at their location, and I was able to create over 100 art pieces for the event. My solo art exhibition, “Feel Free” was my greatest success, and this opportunity made me see my full potential as an artist. I am constantly creating both art and music simultaneously to showcase the full potential of skills that I have to offer. My latest music project release was the “Wake Up EP” released on New Years 2018. Right now, I am constantly creating new music and art and always looking for new projects to take on. I participate in local events in the area as a vendor or performer to continue to build my name and brand. I have been releasing new singles while I work on a new untitled music project that is currently in the works for my music and I have been continuously creating murals and commissioned artwork for businesses and individuals who support my art and trust me with their creative vision.

Please tell us about your art.
I am a visual artist, muralist, and recording artist, so my passion is creating both music and art. I write and record songs under the genre of hip-hop, trap, and other alternative music. As a hip hop artist influenced by boom bap and modern-day hip-hop artists, my music is often lyrical and conscious. I would say my style is a combination of the old school boom bap flow mixed in with my own spin and influence of modern day music. My passion for music comes from seeing other artists wearing their heart on their sleeves. It motivates me to write about real things that people go through on a day-to-day basis, and I use that to reflect on my own life experiences to set the tone for my music.

As a muralist and a mixed media artist and painter, I’ve painted many murals in Miami, Downtown and Wynwood for local business. When it comes to my art, I am always pushing myself to do better and to innovate what it is I create. It started off as a passion for graffiti and mixed media, and it evolved into an abstract style with colorful patterns and characters that I am proud of creating. You can always still see the influence of graffiti within my work, but I am always trying new things and experimenting with my art to keep the ideas and inspiration fresh. I also enjoy collaborating with different artists because it helps me grow as an artist by learning new techniques and building strong relationships within the community. I consider my artwork to be a self-reflection of the daily choices we make in life. I use characters, arrows, and a variety of shapes and symbols to show an overall map that leads to the different choices we make and how our actions will affect the next path that follows. I usually like to leave my art up for interpretation because it always means something different to the person viewing it. The colors and tone I choose are meant to set a mood for the artwork I create because I want the colors to evoke a mood within the individual viewing it. I also like to create a variety of custom painted snapbacks, digital portraits, 3D canvases, and jean jackets.

We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
My best advice is to find like-minded people that you can find common ground with. Build healthy relationships within the community and network – it can help you with technique and perspective. By building relationships, you build a network of people that will help you by sharing your work and showing their support.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The best way to see my work is by following me on Instagram and attending upcoming events where I sell my art. I always post great deals for my artwork on my Instagram, so by following me; you can see the updates through my Instagram story and posts. I usually vendor at local events in Wynwood and Miami where people can go see my artwork in person, and it’s a great way to connect with the people that support my work. You can also find my music on Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and Soundcloud.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Christine Olivera / @colivmedia

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