Easy Lee and his musical other half, Tre, make up Mojoe, a musical outfit that pull out the sounds of the past to blend it with the groove of the present, which when all mixed up in the batch equals a distinctive vehicle to the hip-hop and soul vibe of the future. Their new album, ‘classic.ghetto.soul’ is set to hit shelves on September 12th, and it brings an alternative perspective to today's music.

Their energetic live show has won them fans from native San Antonio to underground and independent scenes throughout the South and East coast. In between touching down in New York and cruising down to Philly, Easy Lee and Tre took some time out to talk to us about the album, their influences and why exactly our ears deserve their attention.

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GIANT STEP: Your style is described as "The Roots meet Outkast over dinner with Marvin Gaye at D'Angelo's house." Can you go into detail a bit at what exactly that means and how you decided to make this your signature sound?

TRE: It's hip-hop soul – the best of both worlds. We take the blueprint of hip-hop and merge that with the original soul element. It's like a hip-hop album that was made in the Motown era. There's rapping, singing, spoken word and live instrumentation.

EASY LEE: It wasn't a decision to be like this or like that. We both grew up listening to old school and jazz, so that influence was heavy and all a part of who we are. Through our music, we want to portray that and give the message that it's okay to be who you are.

GS: Was the chemistry and flow between you both synchronized from the beginning?

TRE: Musically, we lived very parallel. We both rode around listening to the same type of music. Our parents were bumpin' the same type of music. I did my thing on the street and Easy was in the poetry/spoken word scene. I knew it'd be serious when I got with him. We were partners before the music. We are honest with each other about everything. If something isn't working, then we let each other know. You have to be patient.

EASY LEE: I represent the spoken word and rap, while Tre is the singer and also does some rhyming. He is the soul provider. We equally contribute on the album and with the live band.

GS: Speaking of the live band, can you tell us a bit of what your show is like and the set up you have going on?

TRE: We do a lot of impromptu stuff with the band. It's totally different from being in the studio. We bring ourselves to the crowd and have a lot of crowd participation. We built our name on the live shows. It's a chance to let our hair down with full energy. It's an emotional rollercoaster through the songs.

EASY LEE: We have a drummer, musical director, keyboards, lead guitar, and a DJ - It depends on the city, promoter and budget (laughs) at what we bring to a show. Me and Tre work with it and just go out there and make the crowd feel it.

GS: Give me some names of those old school and jazz musicians who fell on to your ears?

EASY LEE: There are many – Miles Davis, Nancy Wilson, Frankie Beverly and Maze

TRE: Roy Ayers, Curtis Mayfield, Billie Holliday

GS: Tell the truth – did you listen to them growing up by force or did you listen on your own?

EASY LEE: We both always had it around us, but it wasn't until we got older that we started to truly respect and appreciate it.

GS: Easy, I know you are originally from New Orleans, but moved to Texas about 10 years ago. Were you affected at all by Hurricane Katrina,and did any of that emotion spill over to this album?

EASY LEE: The album was done before the Hurricane hit, but it put things into more focus for me and Tre. We knew we had to get it out there and grind. I had people I couldn't reach for a few days, so it was a relief when I heard from them. One thing that was positive is that some family came to Texas, so it was nice for all of us to be together again. Tomorrow isn't promised and we know people are depending on us with this album.

GS: What do you feel that Mojoe has that puts you in a different class from the saturated hip-hop and soul market?

TRE: I'm not saying other artists aren't speaking from their heart, but what you feel and hear is right from us. It's not a façade – it's our life and what we go through. We want to give the message that it's okay to be yourself. Our music is respected from the suburbs to the ghetto – they all feel the vibe. People will be surprised that we just want to be regular.

EASY LEE: I agree with Tre. The honesty and passion in music is not being seen. There isn't an outlet for independents to be heard – not only for us, but for the whole movement.

GS: If you had to pick one song to define your sound – just one…?

TRE: "Yesterday" – it has a catchy hook, has the singing and rappin'. It represents our vibe. It's smooth with the horns and it shows what we do.

EASY LEE: Definitely "Yesterday" – I have to go with Tre with this one. It is the best way to introduce ourselves.