Botney "Bar Lingo" Collins a.ka. B.L. Da Lyfe

A true MC in every sense of the word, Bar Lingo (or B.L. Da Lyfe) attributes Hip Hop to saving his life - now he wants to return the favor. Born in the small town of Muskegon Heights, MI to a single mother, Botney “Bar Lingo” Collins has music in his blood. His father was a local musician, so B.L. would hang out in the garages to hear his father's band rehearse in the early ‘80s. Music was an outlet for him as he was forced into adulthood as a child, becoming a product of the streets. “I was born with music embedded in my DNA. I can’t recall a time when music wasn’t a part of my life. I used to drum on everything around the house. My love of music is incomprehensible; it runs deep through my veins. I’ve wanted to be a musician for as long as I can remember.”  

The 2nd oldest of three children, and the only male child, B.L. navigated the responsibilities of being a son, a brother, and ultimately a provider with little guidance or direction, except what he gained from the streets. B.L. utilized powerful metaphors to combat the harsh realities that life dealt him, which was a hard upbringing riddled with poverty, violence, and substance abuse. He eventually found himself in the confines of the Michigan Penal System, where Hip Hop became his saving grace and place of solace. Hip Hop saved him from reverting back to a life of crime and falling victim to the streets.  

Now, this hard hitting M.C. has emerged to return the favor and save Hip Hop. B.L. is a breath of fresh air in a day and age where Hip Hop has been watered down and abased to piss-poor lyrics and mediocre hooks. B.L.’s music gives the streets a real case of hard, gritty vocals, heavy punch lines, and thought provoking lyrics that will make you use your mind. “Guys get intimidated by how rough my bars be without cursing or using explicit content.”  

Once you hear his work, you will be moved by his grace and style, his presence, and his delivery. Once you’ve witnessed his power on stage, you are an instant fan. You may wonder, “who is Bar Lingo”, but by the end of one of his shows, you are rocking with him, singing his lyrics, mesmerized and won over by B.L. Da Lyfe.    

Also on Reverb Nation at www.reverbnation.com/barlingo