' Finding Worlds Again' An Interview with Solomon Adams

I had the pleasure of interviewing upcoming spoken word, actor and role model Solomon Adams. Solomon, I first met at a music video shoot for an artist "Conrad Kira". The track was called "Robot". Solomon is anything, but a robot, he is a man full of autonomy, drive, desire and dedication to his craft. I am happy I had the honour to interview a stellar young man who is navigating the world around him.


------Solomon Introduce yourself?

I'm Solomon Adams. A blessed soul dancing within an exceptional body.



------What inspires you?

Love, life, passion, great art and the presence of people who keep on moving forward when life throws its jabs, hooks and uppercuts and who continue to create authentically and express themselves wholeheartedly.





-----What inspired your EP?

I've always been surrounded by poetry. My Mum, (a published/performance poet) would bring me up on stage with her at an earlier age to play the djembe drum to accentuate certain elements of her performance. The spoken word/acoustic vibe of 'Finding Worlds Again' definitely links back to that. I also grew up in a musical home where music coloured each part of the day. There was music for every mood, every scenario and each moment of the day. Hip-Hop and the emcee's role were also crucial in assisting me to learn my role as a storyteller and sharing stories which were authentic to my experience of growth.

-----What does a young black creative mean to you?

It means holding and walking with a torch passed down by past generations. It's so important regardless of how you express to be conscious of what messages, themes and ideas your work is spreading. In a world which wants to condemn our authentic self expression and yet still profit from our culture, I find it crucial to be a light so that whatever we do can go on to heal and give space to those rising up who need empowering so they can see themselves as a powerful, prosperous and promising people.

-----Tell me more about the EP?

After returning from America after a study abroad period there, the concept of identity began to intrigue me with all that I had learned and unlearned in aiming to become one with a world which was similar but still very different to my own. As a sophomore at Monmouth University, I was given a rare opportunity to take a seniors course entitled "Confessional Poetry: Surviving Madness". During the course, the concept of 'Negative Capability', a term coined by John Keats was introduced which explained the notion of accepting 'uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason'. This notion intrigued me as I grew to understand through the disbanding of my home identities that I was accepting and coming to terms with faith that taught me everything would work out just fine regardless of all the doubt, uncertainty and mystery that was clouding my current world.

Finding Worlds Again came from this idea, where on returning from America, I realised I began to find this 'world' again being a young black British/Caribbean man in London with all my different titles/labels which defined me. Being in America, I was able to abandon all my home identities and start afresh which was powerfully transformative all in itself. The moment of true revelation came when I returned home and had to find my footing and foundations again and choose whether I would become one with all that I had left behind when I had first left or not.


It was all summed up perfectly within a line of poetry when I listened to Kendrick's To Pimp a Butterfly album which was released whilst I was in the U.S.

Track 9 - Momma - "I know what I know and I know it well not to ever forget / Until I realised I didn’t know sh*t / The day I came home.








-----Favourite track and why?






Keep On - the heart of the message is timeless. It connects back to what inspires me. The act of keeping on and moving forwards especially when life throws it's jabs, hooks and uppercuts. The first draft for that poem was also written in America after an experience which shook me up mentally. The foundations of the piece came from a place of anguish but once it had been worked on and given time to breathe, it developed into an upbeat track supported by the likes of some brothers close to my heart. Big up J'u, Tish, Steven Lewis and Eli.P.



-----What musicians inspire you?

Questlove, Robert Glasper Roy Hargrove, J.Dilla, Stevie Wonder, Nas, Chronixx, Andre 3000, Common, Kano, Killer Mike, Tom Misch, Sly5thAve, Rapsody, Black Thought, Kendrick, Sa-Roc, Talib Kweli, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Omar, Monte Booker, Akala, Little Simz, J'u, Tish, Janelle Monae, Maverick Sabre and Anyway Tha God to name a few.

-----I know you work with 100 Black Men of London, so tell me more about your reasons and motivations why?

I was mentored by the 100 between the ages of 10 and 12 and the impact was a slow release. At an early age, I was able to talk the talk on specific life skills such as peer pressure, self-esteem, effective expression, goal setting etc but when it came to walking the walk through adolescence, I struggled as many young black boys do. On the other side of that now and after some personal development time, I've found it valuable to relearn, pass on and empower the next generation and be a positive black real role model. Our future is royal.


------On your track, you spoke of the impact your father and the lack of his presence had on you? so in the current political climate, why is he one of the themes?

Growing up without my Dad was never a reason for me to feel hatred towards him, I just wasn't brought up that way. Mum always made it clear that he wasn't around for his own reasons and I understood that. As I've grown, I've come to realise the lack of a dad in the house has helped me appreciate and value all the paternal figures I've had around me, teachers, mentors, coaches, counsellors, barbers, wordsmiths and musicians. The track 'Click' is a dedication to those figures and also a message to my biological father to let him know we're all good.

------The themes of love, have you been in love or are you in love?

If I'm being totally honest with myself, in the past, I've been operating in lust giving in to my urges and desires rather than giving into love. In hindsight, I see how in past relationships, self-love has been missing and has caused issues which have cost me wonderful loving relationships. Without a real foundation, love has never been able to grow.

I've also seen the false sight of love all around me in relationships which don't seem to work but do so more for the sake of image than anything else. I'm certain I don't want to get into a relationship for the sake of being in one so I've been doing some real digging recently ensuring that I understand and love myself better so I can bring myself openly and truthfully to relationships that I choose to get into. Living truthfully in a relationship is crucial and something I've been working on with myself. A lot of progress has been made in these last couple of years and I'm glad.

I give thanks for hindsight, growth, the present & the future and I'm looking forward to an exceptional future with a future partner but I'm definitely not rushing.


"Good things come to me easily in peace and at the right time."

-----What is the one message you want people to take away from your EP? and why?

Love yourself enough to be yourself enough and you will know peace. There's so much more to be discovered about you by you so keep on shining and moving forwards. You've got this.

I appreciate your support brother and I've got copious amounts of love for you.

Stay blessed always.

Speaking to young black creatives like Solomon is a breath of fresh air and inspires me to honestly know the millennial generation have millennials who are using their platforms for greatness.