Soul Bees by Camille & Dante

The fairy tale version:

What it is! What it is! Well, uh, the word on the street is that the Soul Bees came about one day when some rebel bees got together and decided they weren't gonna put up with The Man no mo'! In their case, The Man was a queen bee, but don't pay that no mind, ya dig?

These here rebel bees blew that jive hive and roamed and roamed until they somehow found their way up in the apartment of a soul brotha. You know, one of these cool cats with nice threads hanging? Well these bees started jonesin' for one of this brotha's fly shirts. While that soul brotha was sleep, they picked up his fliest shirt and flew it straight out the window.

All of a sudden, a Fairy Bee appeared and said “What in the hive are you doing? You've abandoned your queen and now you're stealing? This is not what bees are about!”

The jive rebel bees begged the Fairy Bee, “We be sad, fairy bee! We can't take no mo' from that jive queen. We's fixin' to start our own tribe and we wanted to have some style. We didn't know what else to do!”

“Well, if you promise to make amends, I will grant you your wish,” said the Fairy Bee.

“That be cool to da bone, Fairy Bee! Thank you,” said the rebel bees. And with a wave of her wand, the Fairy Bee transformed those hive drones into the Soul Bees! Bees with style, sense and a duty to protect other hives when their help is needed, kinda like Batman, but with lot more soul, boogie, and sticky sweet honey!

The Soul Bees don't flaunt themselves, so you may never see them in your lifetime, but best believe they exist.

You may think I be talking that jive, but I ain't no jive turkey, man. Word.

The real version:

Dante and I were talking on the phone, as we often do, while he was preparing for work and I was out on a walk. He mentioned he couldn't find his shirt and I suggested that a group of bees came in through the window and stole it, because that could totally happen, dammit. So Dante gave the thieving bees a voice that just so happen to be that of a 1970's Black man, and I said something like “Are they soul bees?” Then a volcano erupted halfway across the world and the Soul Bees were born.

Story of the Soul Bees

Soul Bees Theme