Paul Josephs is a city-born mystic with the soul of a poet and the instincts of a bandleader. Raised in the heart of New York, he speaks the language of rhythm and streetlight—but he was taught by older voices: wind through tenement cracks, thunder off rooftop water towers, and the river the Lenape once called Mahicanituck—the river that flows both ways.
Since the age of sixteen, Paul has been fronting bands with vision and fire. As a singer, emcee, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist producer, he doesn’t just write songs—he conjures worlds. His lyrics walk that rare line between raw and refined, political and personal, ancient and right now.
His latest release, Strong World, is an analog trip into psychedelic soul, backed by a seven-piece band with horn arrangements that breathe. Under the alias MetroSonics, he delivers Focused Fire—a soulful, hard-driving hip-hop odyssey, soon to be re-released.
Paul’s musical DNA runs deep: nights at underground Brooklyn dance parties, where Rastas spun reggae 45s through clouds of herb smoke, and teenage years sitting in at Harlem jazz sessions, soaking up the pulse of the city’s elders.
He’s shared space with artists like Beyoncé, The Roots, Citizen Cope, Maceo Parker, Pharoahe Monch, Jean Grae, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and others—but Paul has always followed his own current. Artist and architect of rhythm, his sound flows across genres—hip-hop, soul, funk, reggae, folk, jazz, blues—like water finding its way.
Whether on stage with a septet or alone with a guitar, Paul’s music carries something timeless. He’s not just performing—he’s channeling. City-born, nature-tuned, and word-deep, Paul Josephs brings music that grooves, speaks, and listens all at once.
“ Soulful and smart music, bouncing along on bluesy guitar and a rock/reggae beat, Strong World would be at home in any record collection that stretches from Santana to the Clash to Arcade Fire. Paul Josephs and MetroSonics pack a small world into each tune.”
“Psychedelic blue-eyed soul that rocks.”
“If there’s one thing Paul Josephs and the Metrosonics’ Strong World isn’t, it’s your average background music self released indie album. Several tracks stand out from this fresh and contemporary—yet at the same time still beholden to classic sounds—record. From the smooth, bluesy “Mystics” to the reggae and brass laden “Heal Me,” Josephs makes his way from genre to genre establishing the eclectic nature of his writing and composition. In one of the louder and in your face songs of the record, “Upstream,” Josephs blends a groovy rock feel and guitar solo with big band horns while weaving rap vocals in and out for a unique, catchy track you’ll want to play over and over. An album easily appreciated by both casual listeners and musicians alike, Strong World demands the listener’s attention, curiosity and most of all, enjoyment.”
“Rootical Lyricism”