Inspired artistically by Soulja Slim and Gucci Mane, and encouraged by the success of fellow Birmingham, Alabama native and former schoolmate YBN Nahmir, Luh Soldier swiftly launched his career with a label deal and profile-raising projects such as Out on Bond, Soldier Mentality, and NAW FR, all issued between 2018 and 2019.
Born Jamal Swain in Birmingham, Luh Soldier built up an unexpected amount of momentum with freestyles uploaded to Instagram, and soon became one of Cinematic Music Group’s late-2010s signees, joining the likes of Yungeen Ace, Lil Trevo, and Luh Kel on the label roster. In October 2018, just after WorldStarHipHop increased his exposure with the video “28 Bars,” Soldier made his commercial debut with Out on Bond, a five-track EP led by the JayDaYoungan collaboration “45 and a Glock 9.” During the following year, Soldier issued a pair of full-lengths, Soldier Mentality and NAW FR, with “Contraband,” “10 Bands,” and “My Campaign” among their singles. A Young Dolph-assisted remix of the Soldier Mentality cut “What Happened” was out in early 2020. ~ Andy Kellman