OK, think about it for a second. Name one other male MC/female singer combination, together on a permanent basis (not just a fleeting collabo), from anywhere in the world, who are essentially creating a new genre with their music? Take your time...cool, that long enough? And your answer? Yup, just as I thought. Nada. Alright, now for the obligatory ‘information’.

You see, Cee & Bekah are an anomaly. They call their style of music ‘Soul Hop’, named after the superfluous blend of smooth Soul sounds and bangin’ Hip Hop that they have managed to create so effortlessly. Bekah is an incredible soul vocalist, with a voice reminiscent of the likes of Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Jill Scott and Joss Stone. Cee-For is a master of ceremonies, with a unique flow and character influenced by cats like Talib Kweli, Common, Kanye West and Mos Def. Both of these talented artists have been in the scene for a number of years now, grindin’, networking, performing, all of that.

The CD you have in front of you is their debut offering, a mixtape by the name of The Soul Movement Vol. 1. These twenty three tracks are a culmination of approximately three years of writing and a solid two years of recording, mainly inspired by their year living in Toronto, Canada and various travelling experiences. Cuts like “Cuban Sunset”, “THC (Reefer Diary)” and “Home” are clearly a result of the trials and tribulations of living out of a bag. All of these songs are completely true stories, with no embellishments or bullshit included for entertainment’s sake.

Alongside the obligatory mixtape beats from some of the hottest artists of today, and also some older bangers that the heads might remember, Cee & Bekah have enlisted some of the dopest producers in Australia and Canada to lace ‘em here. Styalz Fuego (Chamillionaire, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Kool G Rap) drops a gem on “Get Live”; Revelino (Rudy, Camielle, Soul District) comes through with the home town celebration “Melbourne City (I Like It)”; newcomer Da-Phai delivers a killer summer groove on “Take This Feeling” featuring Notion; Toronto, Canada’s KrisblaiR brings the goods on the raw “THC (Reefer Diary)” and the smoky, jazz vibe on “Perfected Rawness”, where he also spits some knowledge for the people; and Beat Chemist (also of Toronto) puts together a future single in the form of “The Charts” – but just a teaser is included here.

One last tidbit of info before I let you get your listen on. Cee & Bekah handle most of the vocal duties themselves, but they roped in some crew for a lil’ bit of variety. Cee’s younger brother Notion rolls through on a bunch of songs here, newcomer Tommy Gunnz (heads might remember him from the Soul District mixtape in 2004) appears, along with Hykoo, Detect (Battletown), Weezy (Affinity Music Group), Esscay (AMG) and the aforementioned KrisblaiR, all bless your ears. The whole mixtape is engineered by Kaos (of Warner Music’s Justice & Kaos), mixed by the one and only DJ Simon Sez, and hosted by cult icon, Take It Easy Heezy. Aight, that’s enough from me. Go check out the tunes...it’ll change your life. Seriously. I can feel it. It’s a beautiful thing. The Soul Movement is here. And this is only volume one, baby!