rapreviews.com: With legions of rookie rappers trying to master the art of rapping every single day, it's hard to imagine someone establishing a rap career without relying on the genre's built-in special skills arsenal comprised of spectacular flows, innovative use of slang, rhyming prowess, a commanding voice, etc. but based on emotion-driven poetics instead. Yet Sole and his Anticon cohorts have done just that. Then again, they've come a long way, despite their quick rise to prominence. Just press play on Sole's second LP, "Selling Live Water" to catch a glimpse of where this guy is coming from: "The white man's a fuckin' devil I wanted to be black at age 14 so when they say I don't respect the culture... truth is, I only rap cause I ain't smart enough to write a book" Welcome to Sole's world, where live water is a metaphor for humans, where self-doubt brings forth inner strength and where text fragments, despite looking like taken out of context, should +not+ be taken out of context. His debut's clear message to inquiring minds - "and if you don't understand it, I can't explain it" - still echoing, "Selling Live Water" is a brand new collection of stream-of-consciousness excursions along the outer regions of rap music. To argue that to understand Sole, you'd have to understand hip-hop, would be a bold statement. But knowing where someone's coming from sure helps you understand where he's going. The album-opening "Da Baddest Poet" is where Sole reaches deep into his past