When most people think of hip-hop, they think of explicit language and drug paraphernalia.

Melinda “Mama Sol” Wilson, breaks out of that stereotype. Sol is a hip-hop artist with a purpose.

She is an influential rapper from Flint who focuses on positivity rather than profanity.

Through her music, Mama Sol has a goal of uplifting people.

She explains that she could not pick one of her songs to be her favorite.

“All of my music is honest. I write it from a perspective of healing from myself,” Sol said. “Every album that I write is like a diary of my life at that time.”

It is important to Sol that she falls in love with all of her music before she releases it.

She wants to reach out to people and let them know that whatever they may be dealing with, it will work out.

“I write music with hopes to heal,” Sol said. “I really really want to help people heal from whatever they are dealing with.”

She believes it is important to acknowledge her feelings and use them to inspire growth.

Sol knows that it is impossible to be happy all of the time, so when negative feelings arise she said people should assess them.

By doing this, people can recognize where the root of the problem is and use this to grow.

On Feb. 5, Mama Sol performed at the African-American Heritage Month, February “Kick Off” Celebration.

At this event, a variety of members of the black community performed in celebration of black history month.

She is a proud member of the black community, and she emphasizes the importance of filling children with culture.

Sol believes that all cultures should be celebrated — every day of the year — and should not be limited to one month.

One change that she would like to see in society is the amount of love that people give to each other.

“We focus too much on the things we hate rather than talking about the things that we love,” Sol said.

Sol has gone through struggles in her life that she uses to motivate her rather than discourage her.

In her life, Sol had to battle breast cancer and was raised by a single mother because her father was in jail.

Rather than focusing on her hardships, Sol decides to show gratitude for what she has overcome.

She is grateful that she was able to overcome her journey with cancer while refusing chemotherapy.

She is also grateful that she had a mother who did so much for her.

Sol describes her mother as a “saint.”

Anything that comes her way, Sol believes she is able to overcome.

“Whether its dark or light, it’s still divine order,” Sol said. “Wherever you are in your life, it’s intended to be.”

At this point in her life, Sol believes that it is her responsibility to create music.

She knows that she has the power to touch people’s lives, so creating is what she believes she needs to be doing.

Sol enjoys that she is able to have an impact on the lives of others.

With her passion, she has created a profession.