Souls of Mischief

On May 26, 2026, at Le Dodu in Marseille, Souls of Mischief brought together A-Plus, Opio, Phesto and Tajai, four Oakland MCs who emerged in the early 1990s within the orbit of the Hieroglyphics collective. Their hip-hop stems from the Bay Area and blends West Coast heritage, precise, fluid lyricism, and a marked taste for jazz and funk sampling. With 93 'til Infinity, released in 1993, the group established a clear aesthetic: airy productions, melodic motifs, and technical yet accessible rapping carried by voices that trade off seamlessly. Their discography then stretches from No Man’s Land to Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution, followed by Montezuma’s Revenge, and culminates with There Is Only Now (2014), recorded with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. On stage, the quartet relies on a collective dynamic: timbral harmonies, smooth transitions, lyrics in dialogue, and a production approach that favors groove, soul textures and cinematic moods over flashy display. In Marseille, they appeared in this tight format that defines them, performing a repertoire that draws on all periods of the group.