solangeIt’s difficult to say if Solange Knowles’ hip factor is real, or if it’s just the cause of hanging out with her uber-cool older sister. But she sure seems to be harnessing it nicely. O Friday, her cover of The Dirty Projectors’ “Stillness is the Move” surfaced on Pitchfork.com before being yanked by Universal at the label’s behest.

Unimpressed, Solange took to Twitter to voice her frustrations.

“So fucking crazy universal has been taking down a COVER I’m NOT selling or trying to publish. Never heard of that shit in my life! Not to mention Dirty Projectors, LOVED the cover& all parties are happy Doesn’t Lil Wayne a Universal artist rap over other folks records?”

Solange has certainly stepped up her media presence since her days as the Disney version of Beyonce.

Not only is she credited with introducing B and hubby Jay-Z to Grizzly Bear (which resulted in a frenzy of media coverage when the two attended their New York show), she has also started her own band to some legitimate critical acclaim. Solange and the Hadley Street Dreams performed at SXSW on the same night as scene legends Dinosaur Jr. and Tinted Windows (the world’s weirdest side project featuring members of The Smashing Pumpkins, Hanson, Cheap Trick and Fountains of Wayne.)

Her sophomore album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams, was “endorsed with trepidation” by the perpetually skeptical Pitchfork, even warranting a 7.3 rating (which is practically a high-five in their books). Solange drew Motown comparisons on the one hand, and the keen ear picked up a Boards of Canada sample that could swoon any indie kid.

Today’s Universal debacle is still being sorted out, but hopefully this won’t be the last of Solange’s forays into sampling because it seems this informed persona is working out for her.






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