SOUL'd OUT

Overview

SOUL'd OUT (also styled Soul'd Out, and sometimes called S.O) was a Japanese hip-hop trio made up of Diggy-MO' (MC), Bro.Hi (MC/beatboxer) and Shinnosuke (trackmaster/keyboards). Formed in 1999, they made their major debut on SME Records in 2003 and disbanded in 2014. Rooted in black music such as hip-hop and R&B, they released six studio albums and 20 singles before parting ways. The name is a portmanteau of "soul" and "sold out".

Members

• Diggy-MO': Main MC and lead vocalist, who co-wrote lyrics with Bro.Hi and co-composed with Shinnosuke on nearly every song. He was classically trained on piano from the age of 10 and played in a band in his school days. He began a solo career in 2008; his first single "Bakusou Yume Uta" (26 November 2008) was the third ending theme of the anime Soul Eater, his first solo album Diggyism came out on 25 March 2009, and "Stay Beautiful" (12 May 2010) was the 23rd ending theme of Bleach.
• Bro.Hi: Beatboxer, MC and lyricist. He played drums in a band in middle school and was strongly influenced to beatbox after seeing The Roots live. Before debut he worked as a traditional chef for about seven years alongside music. He formed EdgePlayer in 2004, a band fusing rock with DJ work for club performances; it was renamed E.P.O in 2014 and remains active after the breakup. Its first full album, Twisted, was released on 28 July 2010. In March 2024 he opened the restaurant Shikisai in Hamura, Tokyo, where he works as the chef.
• Shinnosuke: Trackmaster and keyboardist who composed and arranged nearly all of the group's songs and provided music for other artists. After finishing high school he became absorbed in Jam & Lewis and aspired to be a sound producer rooted in black music. He has been a member of buzz★Vibes since 2018, and has said he was strongly influenced by Tetsuya Komuro of TM NETWORK and Daisuke Asakura of access. He launched the solo project S'capade, releasing a self-titled album on 9 June 2010.

DJ Mass, keyboardist JUNKOO and, after the comeback, DJ TeddyLoid supported the group.

Career

Formation and debut

Diggy-MO' and Bro.Hi met through a magazine ad seeking members; three years later they met Shinnosuke, who was looking for a vocalist, and SOUL'd OUT formed in 1999. After passing the Sony Music Audition (2001–2002), they debuted on 22 January 2003 with the maxi single "Wekapipo", scouted by VERBAL of m-flo. That year they opened for Justin Timberlake's showcase live and released their first album, SOUL'd OUT. In 2004 they opened for Mary J. Blige at Nippon Budokan.

2005–2008

The second album To All Tha Dreamers followed in 2005, and the third, ALIVE, in 2006, along with the first best-of Single Collection. In 2007 "VOODOO KINGDOM" became the theme song of the anime film JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood, and a Nippon Budokan show was held on 27 April. From September they released three consecutive monthly singles: "MEGALOPOLIS PATROL", "TONGUE TE TONGUE" and "COZMIC TRAVEL", the last chosen as an official support song for the lunar orbiter Kaguya. In 2008 came the fourth album ATTITUDE and the remix album Movies & Remixies 4.

Hiatus and return

The group paused in 2009 as members pursued solo work, and returned at BEAT CONNECTION 2010. They released "and 7" (2011), then "UnIsong", "SUPERFEEL" and "Singin' My Lu" (2012), followed by the fifth album so_mania and a 22-venue national tour, so WHAT!? mania. In 2013 the 10th-anniversary best-of Decade was released.

Disbandment and recent activity

On 30 January 2014 the group announced it would disband after its sixth and final album, To From (9 April 2014). They played their last live, SOUL'd OUT LAST LIVE "0", at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST on 19 July 2014, ending 15 years of activity. The group's official TikTok account opened on 27 August 2024, and on 9 April 2026 a remake of their debut song "Wekapipo" was used in a Lotte Crunky Chocolate commercial, with Diggy-MO' giving vocal direction.

Musical style

Rooted in hip-hop, R&B and other black music, the group combined Diggy-MO's rap and vocals, Bro.Hi's beatboxing and Shinnosuke's tracks and keyboards. Lyrics were mainly written by Diggy-MO' and Bro.Hi, with composition and arrangement by Diggy-MO' and Shinnosuke.