Each year, the Soul’d Out Music Festival chooses local Portland artists to open up for some of the hottest and well-respected R&B, soul, funk, hip-hop, and jazz artists from all over the world. This year’s lineup includes the legendary Erykah Badu and De La Soul, as well as Portland-born-and-raised emcee Fountaine.
It is exciting to see when hard work pays off—and not just when it pays off for yourself. Sometimes it can be more empowering to see it happen for someone else, just so you know that it can happen to anyone around you. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Fountaine perform on several occasions, from house shows to traditional venues, as well as the opportunity to get to know him and get a more in-depth look at his craft.
It’s often surprising to me how many Portlanders don’t know who Fountaine is yet, because he is easily one of the most complete artists and performers the city has to offer. He has an energy on and off stage that you don’t forget. His stage presence hooks people in and raises the hype level in any room by 10! Everything Fountaine does on stage gives you the sense that it is the place where he can be his authentic self, and his ability to dance and move around a stage never seems to compromise his ability to get his bars and melodies out clearly. He can rap, sing, compose beats and produce.
Off the stage, Fountaine is busy making records—and he’s not just making them, he’s dropping them! Since 2015, he has released three instrumental tapes and three full-length albums, including his most recent Hell For Infinite Losers featuring Portland favorites like Blossom, Mat Randol and The Last Artful, Dodgr. It’s an ambitious release that proves Fountaine will not shy away from any genre on his productions, and he will continue to push boundaries through his compositions.
Believe the hype! Catch one of Fountaine’s upcoming live performances.
