Rainbow Soul by Chris Oledude: Love, Groove, and Memory

Brand new year, the grace of 2026, and a strong start – if you think you’re ready for this. Yeah: funk, gospel, upbeat, call it whatever you want. What matters is the way it moves people, the way it brings voices together, the way it carries history without dragging it behind.

That sense of movement sits at the heart of Rainbow Soul, the latest release from Chris Oledude. The song has roots going back to 1984, written during the surge around Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaigns and the rise of the Rainbow Coalition. It comes back now with time behind it and people at the center.

Brooklyn, politics, and inherited fire

Growing up in Brooklyn, Chris Oledude watched civic life unfold up close. His father, the late Congressman Major Owens, stood inside those movements, and that proximity left a permanent mark. I hear that imprint all through Rainbow Soul: trust between people, shared responsibility, and the idea that democracy breathes through participation. The words come out straight. I hear streets and long nights all over it.

Listening, I hear someone who witnessed history forming rather than reading it later. I hear a song that takes its time and speaks clearly.

From gospel speed to funk depth

Musically, the 2025 version shifts gears. The original fast gospel pulse opens into a funk-driven groove, giving the song enough space to stretch and gather momentum. The chorus opens up, and suddenly it’s not one voice anymore. It stops sounding like one person and starts sounding like everyone.

The rainbow itself grows as a symbol here, extending naturally toward LGBTQIA communities as part of the same human story. Love, peace, and dignity sit at the center, kept the way it was meant to be.

A song that keeps pace with the times

Rainbow Soul fits seamlessly within Chris Oledude’s recent body of work, alongside releases like No Crowns For Clowns and the album Preacher Man – Vol. 1. These pieces feel informed by civic life, and obviously by studio craft. When I listen, I hear songs taking a side, and it’s a human one.

I spend a lot of time listening, and this one is clear about what it’s saying: policy keeps human lives inside it, community shapes direction, and music works best when it brings people together.

Find Chris Oledude on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, YouTube – then follow your ears wherever they feel curious.