Local Music Spotlight: T.S. the Solution’s music switches from laid-back fall and winter to a summer party

Every song is made with a different moment in mind, and Devonte Pearson (better known by his stage name, T.S. the Solution) picks his moments wisely. Before this summer, his music was almost universally “very laid-back, conscious rap. It’s always been very fall and winter.”

But for this undoubtedly uncommon 2021 summer, Pearson pushed himself out of his comfort zone. “I’ve always wanted music that you could rock to,” he said. “But this time, I wanted music that you can bump to in the summer. Enjoy your friends, not have to worry about life’s struggles and all that stuff people are used to hearing in my music.”

T.S. the Solution has already released two of these new tracks: “Coast,” which dropped in June, and the more recent “Summer Solution,” released on the first of July. Both are part of the Summer Solutions series, and anyone familiar with Pearson’s style will recognize the difference immediately.

“Coast” is lively, upbeat and vibey. Pearson’s rap is fast-paced and confident, alternatively driving the song’s rhythm and flowing over it. “Summer Solution” is similarly energetic but builds to a chorus of “you can’t tell me nothing” that feels like the defiant confidence of a summer party.

There is a third track – no name has been announced – set to release in August and close out the series. For the fall, Pearson will move back to his specialty, the “backpack rap. Lo-fi.” “I’m super introspective, about everything that I do, every move that I make,” he said.

“So, I’m able to hammer out those (introspective) songs really fast. Whereas these summer records, I’ve held on to these beats for maybe a year or two before writing to them.” But the sound of summer and the palm tree imagery that permeates these singles’ artwork are in Pearson’s blood.

Even though he is a proud Spokane resident, he was born in Long Beach, California. “It’s almost like going back to my roots,” he said. “I kind of have California ingrained in me while Washington is more on me. So, I kind of have the best of both worlds in that respect.” But as an artist and public figure, T.S. the Solution is all Spokane.

Being a rapper from Spokane, he’s confronted with the city’s lack of deep history in the genre. But where some might see that as a restriction, Pearson sees it as an opportunity. “We could eventually be the iconic figures (of Spokane). So, it’s an opportunity to take the city to the next level and be those iconic figures.”

But becoming Spokane’s rap roots will take time and an immense amount of work, not just on his own behalf but also for the community as a whole. “One of my goals is to have a recording studio in order to hire up-and-coming audio engineers from the audio engineering program that I came out of” (Pearson attended SFCC’s Audio Engineering program).

He wants to provide a space for local artists and engineers to “hone their skills, learn everything they need to learn to take themselves as seriously as possible.” Leadership and means are two things the music community always needs more of, Pearson says, and he is intent on delivering them.

With so many projects on the horizon, and new music to think about, it seems as though Pearson couldn’t be busier. But in addition to the music, he actively pushes positivity through his social media, documenting “the journey to fulfill all these dreams and goals that we want.”

“I have a fiancée, I have a pair of twins, I have all these responsibilities. So, I just work my life, however positive I can, to where I’m a good role model, I’m doing good by them, but I’m still doing good by myself and still chasing dreams that I want to accomplish.”

The T.S. the Solution Instagram is as much about this healthy, motivated balance – and with his remarkable motivation to get up early – as it is about the music. Because the means matter in achieving the ends.

Stay tuned for the announcement of his upcoming single, and listen to “Coast” and “Summer Solution,” available anywhere you stream music. Also, drop a follow on Instagram at @TS_The_Solution.

Julien A. Luebbers can be reached at julien.luebbers@gmail.com.