Vibe Interviews Solange

Solange is nuts in a good way. She has some hysterical one-liners that make me cringe, but reflect mostly truth. Peep a few excerpts below:

Was there one moment when you knew you were accepted beyond just being Beyonce’s little sister?

I think that moment was when I was five, really [Laughs]. I never had to have this moment of where I felt accepted. I’ve always felt accepted. There was no big church-bell-ringing moment for me. I’m always finding out more and more about myself and about the people who respect what I do. I can tell you what I really love. When I run into people on the street that tell me they have connected with my music.

I can only imagine the conversations you have had with Badu. You both seem pretty strong-willed with that I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude.

Well, I just love her. We have conversations mostly about life…about being moms, about being in this industry and raising kids and dealing with relationships. But on the music tip, the very first time I got a Tweet from her telling me she loves my record was crazy. Jay Electronica put her on to my music; he loves my song “Dancing In The Dark.” It’s moments like that where I get the fulfillment just knowing that the people I’ve grown up admiring are fans of my work. And these are people who culturally and artistically have the same views as me.

Are you ever tempted to put up a middle finger to those fans that said you were just being weird to separate yourself from your sister Beyonce? I could really care less what Suzie B. fan, who fits a certain profile and only shops at a certain place and only goes to the spots that blogs tell her to go to, thinks. Those people have never driven me. I wouldn’t take back any of the things I did because I gained the people who I needed to have on my side. The people who don’t understand that don’t have the integrity that I want anyway. I felt really good that my songs were at the Best Of The Year-End lists in places like Pitchfork and Spin. I get my love. It may not be what everyone else’s perception is, but I definitely get respect and I feel really good about that.

You recently started DJing. Is this a serious hobby?

I’m so serious [laughs]. I always wanted to DJ, but I never had the time or the equipment to learn. I have too much respect for too many DJ’s to just start spinning with a CD changer. So my sister and brother got me a pair of turntables for my birthday last year. I started experimenting with it, but I realized that I needed a real tutor because it was harder than I thought it would be. So I called Tip and asked if he could give me a crash course. We did a three-day boot camp where he basically put on “Impeach The President” on both sides and made me beat match over and over again. Tip was screaming, “Go!” and I’m sweating crazy because it was totally old school. I picked it up in three days. I started DJing some parties in Houston because there wasn’t a place that musically reached out to the alternative folks. I invited a bunch of my friends and we basically had these crazy ‘70s parties in Houston in this club that was a total sweatbox. I played a bunch of Isley Brothers, Chaka and Grizzly Bear records.

Whole interview here.