Marshall 'Soulful' Jones

One Saturday night a few years ago, I was exposed to someone great...his name: Marshall 'Soulful' Jones. He's a performance poet, singer, musician that is like no other. To me he is a neo-soul-sci-fi-lightning-strike, for anyone who ever had a dream to succeed. This man has touched many souls like my own. I purchased his c.d. called Redemption, and it truly up-lifted me.  I've thanked him personally for helping me climb out of the hole of depression through his art and words. It is my pleasure to share him with the world. I'm pleased to share this supernova with all!

Marshall ‘Soulful’ Jones, the poet, emcee, singer, songwriter, producer, and creator is a valued contributor to the world of poetry and spoken word. He’s performed across the country from poetry venues at open mic’s to colleges and universities. He currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Where he is focused on growth and evolution! I had the opportunity of interviewing him after he’d auditioned for Bravo’s up coming reality show, “Hitmakers” though the show wasn’t a fit for him, he remains positive that this is only the beginning. On a Sunday evening, I got a chance to pick the brain of this rare talent.

Soul.Lyrikal: What is your mission?

Marshall Soulful Jones: My mission is to touch as many people as possible, millions, through positive, passionate, understanding vibrations.

Soul.Lyrikal: Who molded you to become great?

Marshall Soulful Jones: There is no who, there is no particular person. I’ve been molded by many different people, there’s too many to name. It could be a random person on the bus, or someone I’ve known, I learn from everyone.

Soul.Lyrikal: What would you change about the music industry?

Marshall Soulful Jones: I wouldn’t change anything about the music industry. Every generation in music has been considered as vile, where some feel ‘like what are they doing?’ Every generation has come with something new, so I wouldn’t change a thing, because growth is growth, and evolution is evolution. I mean some called Ray Charles music as the ‘devils music‘, but we today consider it classic music. There are not that many classic records in any time period…not every song that makes the top 100 is considered a classic. Its basically the 80-20 principle, so I wouldn’t change anything….20% of music will yield greatness, so I’d love to be in that 20%!

Soul.Lyrikal: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up on poetry, music and art?

Marshall Soulful Jones: Yes, there was a dark period I was going through…rather it was a problem in a relationships with different people, with my lovers, or loved ones, it has been many things that has caused me an inability to create, so some things that I go through definitely effects me. As of late, I’ve just come out of a crazy cycle of just things that I was going through that was compromising to say the least. My sense of well being and peace of mind is linked to my creativity, but when it comes to the grand scale, before I found poetry, I was about to give up on life, and life is the ultimate craft the ultimate masterpiece, and I was preparing to stop writing, and stop painting my life…that was the most powerful time that I was about to give up, but gratefully I didn’t.

Soul.Lyrikal: What are some of the things that you’ve gone through to get to this point?

Marshall Soulful Jones: Actually I’m grateful for all I’ve gone through. Sometimes I look back on a situation I’ve gone through, and wonder how did I get through that? Had it been any different, I wouldn’t have learned, I wouldn’t be here right now. I mean a diamond is pressurized coal, so if it wasn’t for the pressure, the diamond would’ve never come to be, the pressure is what makes the diamond invaluable. The thing is not to let the pressure crush you. That’s the difference of crushed coal and a diamond.

Soul.Lyrikal: What is your worse trait?

Marshall Soulful Jones: Taking things personal, and also over committing myself. I’d like to be and do everything for everyone on the planet. I like to be able to write, produce, helping every person I came across, and that is not good. But as far as a character trait, it’s not to take things personal, allowing something that someone says effect my feelings about my opinions of myself…there’s still a measure of self-confidence and insecurity in myself.

Soul.Lyrikal: If you could go back in time, what would you change?

Marshall Soulful Jones: I wouldn’t change anything. My goals and my lessons learned from the things that has happened in my personal journey. You know, it’s like a book, when you read a book and it’s an epic tale, and you get to the climax, would you go back and re-write, because you feel it could’ve been better if it was all happy-go-lucky. No one can relate to stories of triumph without adversity. That’s the human experience. The conquering…the evolution of change, sometimes it’s a painful change. Who knows what the caterpillar feels as it goes through metamorphosis, we don’t know if the caterpillar is claustrophobic, scared, or unsure of itself, we just see it as a natural process, we just see a beautiful butterfly. I mean if there was no great change, no one would be interested in that, where’s the stress, the tension? So in saying all that, I would change anything.

Soul.Lyrikal: What’s the difference between Marshall and Soulful?

Marshall Soulful Jones: There’s really no difference that defines the line between the two. I’m the same person on stage as I am in person. There is no blurred line between. I’m the same quirky, weird, dorky, jumping all around, excitable person. Soulful is the pseudonym I use to perform on stage, and I rarely use that anymore.

Soul.Lyrikal: Did you tell your father your ‘Spelling Father’ poem?

Marshall Soulful Jones: I didn’t share this with my dad, he saw it via Youtube.com, my brother showed it to him. That was some years ago, and he was very offended by it, but hey, I can’t undo what has been done. I mean there’s a portion in the poem, where I spell deadbeat dad…I mean that’s just how it is, I can’t change that. I mean deadbeat mom doesn’t even sound right, unfortunately deadbeat dad just rolls off the tongue.

Soul.Lyrikal: Do you feel that poets sell themselves short due to ignorance of their worth?

Marshall Soulful Jones: I do feel that poets, out of ignorance that there is a value to words; their worth. I feel that they work venues for free, and free this and free that…I believe in community and volunteer. I’m about giving, but there’s a certain sustainability. It’s like the preacher on Sunday, he’s giving a message, but guess who pays for his house and his car? Those tithes. Now we as poets don’t ask for tithes, we perform, we ask sell our chapbooks, and cd’s. but to keep poets alive, I do feel there should be a commercial understanding, commercial giveback for whatever it is…its only right. A lot of artists, feel that they don’t do it for the money…but if you don’t it for the money and you do it for the love, then don’t complain about it! Poets do sell themselves short because of their ignorance of their own personal value, and what they’re adding to this planet. They feel like “I’m just a poet”, there is no person on this planet, that is ‘just anything’. No part in a big clock is insignificant, if you take the smallest part out of the clock, it will stop the clock! Thus every person, every human being, every piece of fabric is meaningful, none is insignificant.

Soul.Lyrikal: What causes do you fight for?

Marshall 'Soulful' Jones: I stopped fighting a long time ago, I don’t fight against anything. Fighting only begets more fighting. However I will stand for what I believe in…and I stand for love! War does not look into the mirror and see love. So all I can stand for is love for everybody everywhere.

Soul.Lyrikal: What is it like to be in demand?

Marshall Soulful Jones: I think its cool to be wanted, every human wants to be wanted. As a kid, I spent a lot of time in a room alone, and felt unwanted at times. So feeling like people desire, what I have to offer to this world is wonderful, it’s a great perk for what I do.

Soul.Lyrikal: What advice would you give other poets to enhance their stage presence?

Marshall Soulful Jones: Be yourself. It’s about personality. Yeah it’s a little embellished, look at Johnny Depp, I mean he can’t be a quirky weirdo, 24/7, but you know what his ability to play the parts. He really dives into the mind of the most looniest of loony. I’m sure that somewhere in there, its part of his personality. He about having conversation with the crowd. Really find your personality, now if your personality is boring keep that off the stage. Become that which you want to see…you want to become powerful, engaging. Your stage presence will be your enhanced life presence! So when you step on stage…there’s not much to change.

For the last couple of years I’ve been following Mr. Jones career, he is a true poet, performer, musician, and genuine gentleman. His creativity as an entertainer always lights a fire in the audience he shares his works with. As a poet I’d never want to be the one to follow his act. He has that ‘IT’ factor, with an addictive quality, after being a witness of him, I guarantee, you’ll be watching out for his next show. Marshall has been an onward, upward entity, with the motivation and power to save that ‘one’ poet, that feels they have no place in this world. I thoroughly enjoy every track he lays down, rather he’s speaking on a spaced out love in ‘Inhergalactic‘, his public service announcements on the state of hip hop in the media, or his proverbial win as the spelling bee champion in ‘Spelling Father‘! Buy his music now, on reverbnation.com. He’s worth every red cent you invest.

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