The Soul Rebels is a brass band from New Orleans that blends the city's rich jazz traditions with marching band dynamics, hip-hop and soul music, and Afrocuban dance beats, among other things. They have been stepping outside of the confines of being a brass band in their more recent work and tapping into a broader array of jazz styles. For years, they played at a typical marching band tempo and within the brass band structure. They are clearly not the only or the first act that blends jazz with hop-hop beats and rapping, but the brass/marching band angle that the Rebels bring to the table makes their work distinct. The list of artists they have collaborated with or played on is a ridiculously long one that includes obvious NOLA based artists like Trombone Shorty and Big Freedia, but also acts like Metallica, Green Day, and Katy Perry.
They have been playing with some major names: Branford Marsalis, Robert Glasper, Trombone Shorty, Green Day, Metallica, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, etc.
They have been described as the missing link between Public Enemy and Louis Armstrong ... maybe more like the missing link between A Tribe Called Quest and Dirty Dozen Brass Band.