Clear Soul Forces

A chance encounter in the studio with longtime Detroit rap mainstay Royce da 5'9" led E-fave (Emile Manette), Ilajide (Kortez Marion), J-Roc (Jarred Douglas), and L.A.Z. (Jarrel Lowman) to establish Clear Soul Forces. Several modest offerings appeared on the group’s Bandcamp page from 2010 to 2012, including beats by Detroit’s Jay Norm, Flint native Nameless, Glasgow’s Hudson Mohawke, and FLYamSam—the Flying Lotus and Samiyam pairing first issued as an instrumental on the Ghostly Swim compilation. Clear Soul Forces issued the album Detroit Revolution(s) in March 2012; eleven of its productions came from Ilajide, while Nameless, KanKick, and King Midas produced or co-produced the remaining four tracks, and the project was offered as a pay-what-you-wish download on Bandcamp. The following month Red Bull Music Academy assembled a twelve-minute documentary spotlighting the MCs.