One Be Lo
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One Be Lo

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"One Be Lo - The R.E.B.I.R.T.H."

/Artist: One Be Lo
Album: The R.E.B.I.R.T.H.
Promotion: Print Publicity and Online Marketing
Duration: 12/6-19. Break. 1/7-3/17/08 (12 weeks)
Report No: 6 of 6. FINAL. Weeks 11-12 (March 3rd - 17th, 2008)

Summary:
The press campaign for One Be Lo had a remarkably successful fun in just three short months. We were able to land 11 reviews and 2 feature articles in a variety of print publications, including local alternative weeklies, glossy magazines, and newspapers. . These publications include some of the most influential and widely read of their kind.

We secured 29 reviews, 19 feature articles, and dozens of multimedia and press release postings on a slew of websites and blogs from all over the world, including AllMusic.com, AllHipHop.com, Okayplayer.com, and RapReviews.com. Highlights include:

• Feature of the week on RapReviews.com early in the campaign
• Featured artist on Music.Download.com
• Featured artist on Mp3.com on day of release with Email Blast inclusion
• Inclusion of track on XLR8R’s weekly Podcast


Most, if not all, of the reviews and feedback was incredibly positive. There was some debate, however, as to whether this was Lo’s best effort yet or if SONOGRAM was better.

We created and disseminated four press releases announcing the upcoming album and various audio stream blasts. These audio blasts were posted on influential blogs and helped set the stage for the forthcoming album.

We also raised awareness on Lo on social networking sites. We set up his account on Imeem.com and secured a featured artist profile on MySpace for March 24th.

In lieu of a music video, we created a montage video of the singles on all the major video sharing sites: YouTube, MySpace, MetaCafe, Google, Revver, DailyMotion, Blip, Veoh, and Crackle.

We used One Be Lo’s image in a media buy campaign for the American Civil Liberties Union campaign on raising awareness of the Guantanamo Bay prisons, which had thousands of impressions on three of the most well-read music websites, PopMatters.com, HipHopDx.com, and OkayPlayer.com. We also set up a handful of contests for simple autographed giveaways to help stimulate interest.

Working with Lo and Integral Music was a pleasure and we look forward to working with you again soon!







CONFIRMED COVERAGE:
PRINT PUBLICATIONS:
? BackSpin Magazine (Germany) - review
? Boston Herald - review
? Emory Wheel (Emory University) - review
? Hip Hop Connection (UK) - review (March)
? Livingston Weekly - review
? Metro Times Detroit - feature
? OC Weekly - review
? Remix - review (March)
? SKUNK Magazine - review (Issue 4.3)
? Thick Magazine (Canada) - review
? Touch Magazine - review (late Feb)
? Vapors Magazine - Hello My Name Is feature
? Wide Eyed Magazine - review (April)
? XLR8R Magazine - review (April)







WEBSITES:
Confirmed: (strikethrough indicates that the article has been published, while no strikethrough means that the article has been confirmed)
? AllHipHop.com - review, feature
? AllMusic.com - review
? AntiMusic.com - PR, review
? ArtOfRhyme.co-feature
? Ballerstatus.net - PR "Gray", review, feature
? BasementFlavor.com - "War"
? BlackMenInAmerica.com - review
? CanineMind (blog) - review
? CBMag.co.uk - review, feature
? CyberKrib.com - audio
? DirtyFutureMedia (blog) - PR
? DoneWaiting.com - review and interview
? DropMagazine.com - interview
? FineSoulBlogspot (blog) - Review
? Grind-Mode.com - review
? HipHopCosign.com - PR
? HipHopDx.com - review ACLU feature
? HoodGrownOnline.com - PR, feature
? HypeMagazine (blog) - "Born & Raised" audio
? IndieFeed Podcast - included "Headlines in podcast



? IndustryCosign.com - PR, feature
? ItsHipHop.com - review
? KevinNottingham (blog) "Born & Raised" audio
? LeisureLab.com "Born & Raised" audio
? Mp3.com artist feature for week of release, email blast
? Music.Download.com - Pick of the Day feature
? MusicEmissions.com - PR
? MVRemix.com - PR
? MySpace.com - Featured artist on 3/24
? Neufutur.com (blog) - PR, review
? OhDangMag.com - review
? OkayPlayer.com - news feature, review
? OneTwoOneTwo.com - PR, review
? Platform8470.com - feature, another feature
? PopMatters.com - review
? PrefixMag.com - review
? RapLounge.de - review
? RapReviews.com - feature, review
? RubyHornet.com - feature
? SixShot.com - review, feature
? SoundSlam.com - PR, "Gray", review, feature



? StreetHop.com - PR
? Synthesis.net - "Born" mp3
? ThaHipHop.com - review
? TheOwlMag.com -review
? TheHypeMagazine.Blogpost.com - PR
? ThickOnline.com - review
? UGHH.com - feature
? UGRap.de - review
? UrbanConnectionz.com - review
? WakeYourDaughterUp (blog )- review, feature
? XLR8R.com - PR, download for INCITE section
? YoRaps.com - PR


Audio Streams:

? 1400 Audible Treats audio streams
? 35,898 from 2 Iconocastic Podcasts
? 85 from imeem.com
? 4009 YouTube montages
? 41,392 TOTAL Down - Audible Treats ltd


"One Be Lo - The R.E.B.I.R.T.H."

One Be Lo “The R.E.B.I.R.T.H.” Album Review
I’m a hip-hop giver, man. What can I say? I carry around this flash drive with my favorite underground hip-hop albums on it. I give them to my friends and family who are hip-hop heads also. I guess I just think it’s a nice thing to do. From my standpoint, there’s no better gift than some dope hip-hop – some shit you don’t know exists, but couldn’t imagine never hearing.
Because of this, the holidays are some of my favorite times. Every year I pick out my official holiday hip-hop album of the year – usually right around a week before Christmas. I get a copy for both of my brothers, my homies who don’t have access to much of the underground, and a couple to some beloved haters who only listen to the radio and then complain that hip-hop just ain’t what it used to be. I like to give it to them for Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or New Years.

This year’s holiday pick is One Be Lo’s “The R.E.B.I.R.T.H.” If you’re looking for something to get your fam, or just some late stocking stuffers for the kids, I highly recommend this album. It is yet another brilliant creation by one of hip-hop’s best lyricists, as well as a very comprehensive album that has something to offer for every type of hip-hop fan on your gift list.

Production
The production on “The R.E.B.I.R.T.H.” shows quite an evolution from Lo’s last album “s.o.n.o.g.r.a.m.” – which contained all different beatsmakers, including tracks done by One Be Lo himself. For this album, Lo apparently decided to go elsewhere for production – and it made for an nice change.

For the most part, Lo stuck with jazzier laid back beats that seem to best accentuate his lighter approach on the mic – stretched out baselines, symbol crashes, and soulful samples. Texture’s Rebirth and House Rules, Eric G’s Snap Shot, and D.L. Jones’ Gray should hit for those of you who enjoy that soul hip-hop.

However, the middle of the album takes a little heavier approach, allowing One Be Lo to demonstrate faster-paced battleish vocals with crisper base, blaring horns, and electronic key or string riffs. Jake One’s Smash, Texture’s Headlines, Bean One’s War, and Vitamin’s D’s Don’t Sleep are the tracks that seem best fit to give you that head-nod-induced neck ache.

Lyrics
Lyrically, there are few emcees that are above One Be Lo – and “The R.E.B.I.R.T.H.” does little to change that. I continue to find myself rewinding track after track as creative verses catch my ear. The majority of the verses in this album are quotable, but some of my favorites are below.

Smash is a song about how mainstream recognition means very little, and proclaims that One Be Lo doesn’t need his album to blow to be considered successful. The following verse gives a great depiction of the mind state of an underground emcee more concerned with art than fame.

A starving artist recited, feel the hunger inside it/
So vivid when I spit it you picture – I didn’t write it/
I lived it/
Dollar signs don’t inspire these lyrics/
Gold diggers for the mic – so enticing I’m Givens/
Partaking the game survival of fittest/
Of course Tiger Woods with the club banging Titelist, get it?/
Got it? Good. Record it with Bonnie and mix it/
Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen – the mind of a chemist/
No green, pot of gold, isle of midgets/
I’m lucky just to see the rainbow – keep my eyes on the prism/
Intoxicated with colors, high and the sky is the limit/
I’m not flattered you biters, you can hire a dentist/

Headlines is a track about the things people do, and the events we read about in the paper. In that song, One Be Lo spits a creative verse from the point of view of a caveman thawed after thousands of years frozen in ice:

There was a caveman frozen in the ice/
But the greenhouse effects thawed his ass back to life/
He woke up in New York City to his surprise/
He couldn’t believe his nose, his ears, or his eyes/
Looking at the people he could tell something was wrong/
Watched the television and radio all night long/
Newspapers and magazines – something is wrong/
He said ‘They got technology/
And they got democracy/
But all I can see is chaos, monopoly/
Robbery, mockery, hypocrisy, debauchery’/

My favorite track on “The R.E.B.I.R.T.H.” is Don’t Sleep, a song based on The Art of War and the teachings of Sun Tzu. The following verse gives a little advice on street philosophy:

These wild cats take more shots than Villanova/
That fiend will kill you over little rocks lil’ soldier/
Marching up the street – and he ain’t even focused/
Over the ocean/
He focused on the war up on the corner/
Swollen with a shogun assassin any moment/
That shit could pop soda/
This is like Coca-Cola/
The caffeine could keep you awake/
A cat nap could be a mistake/
Any cat could be the jake/
And anybody up in your face/
Could be a tortoise or a snake/
But remember the hare lost the race/

There’s really not a disappointment on this album in terms of lyrics - Hip-Hop Linguistics


"One Be Lo: S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M."

One Be Lo: S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.
Subterraneous/Fat Beats, 2005

It’s been a while since I’ve been completely blown away by an album, but this one’s amazing. Not only is One Be Lo (formerly OneManArmy of Binary Star) an incredible MC, but the production here is exceptional. With jazzy, sometimes experimental breaks and socially conscious, thoughtful lyrics, there are literally no weak tracks. Plus you’ve got to respect a rapper who name-checks Alice Coltrane.

I’ve got eight favorite tracks! “enecS eht no kcaB” sounds like a Premier production, with laid-back keyboards and atmospheric scratching. One Be Lo’s rap is pure literature. He assures, “Even when I’m dissing you I’m being sincere.” “Questions” featuring Abdus Salaam and Charmaine Gibson has an even jazzier break, sounding like some ’60s-movie beatnick party. But the lyrics are serious: “Billions of dollars being wasted to drop bombs on Bedouin families/’cause they tamper with Bush’s poppy seeds… welfare recipients turn to warfare participants….” Over a lone horn, the track breaks down and flows into “Oggie” where One Be Lo raps about death and hope. “Axis” has a wicked bassline, but One Be Lo’s social commentary is even more striking. He talks drugs, violence, and religion, lamenting, “Some of us dying over a few bucks;/killer’s old enough to ride a school bus.” On a less serious note, “True Love” featuring Decompoze (who produced many of these tracks) is a love song over a sweet jazz loop.

Three cuts have already appeared on singles. “Deceptacons” got the Pete Rock remix treatment. Here it’s short and funky, about a friend who transformed into an enemy. “Rocketship” has a beat last used by Anticon. It’s a battle track that’s critical of the rap industry. Its B-side “E.T.” is an amusing, pop-culture-filled love song. Don’t let these titles mislead you—One Be Lo isn’t a sci-fi rapper. He’s bigger than that. The last couple of years have seen a renaissance of underground hip-hop, and One Be Lo’s album is among the best of the bunch.
- Jacob Arnold /Gridface


"One.Be.Lo (aka OneManArmy of Binary Star) - ?The Birth Of One.Be.Lo?"

One.Be.Lo (aka OneManArmy of Binary Star) - ?The Birth Of One.Be.Lo?
Contributed by: Todd E Jones aka New Jeru Poet
Source: The Elements
Posted on: March 10, 2005 11:00 PST
Filed under: Rap




Lyrics can make or break an emcee. For One.Be.Lo, lyrics and concepts are priority in hip-hop. Also known as OneManArmy from the group Binary Star, One.Be.Lo is becoming one of the most respected lyrical emcees in the underground. Raised in Michigan, One.Be.Lo?s involvement in Binary Star earned him critical acclaim. The ?Waterworld? LP by Binary Star was an album where all the verses were dropped in one take. After being picked up by a distributor, the name of the LP was changed to ?Masters Of The Universe?. Eventually, Binary Star disbanded due to creative differences. OneManArmy changed his name to One.Be.Lo and focused on his solo career. Unfortunately, One.Be.Lo became involved in illegal activity, which resulted in him having to do a bid in prison. While incarcerated, he did the time and did not let the time do him. After converting to the Muslim religion, One.Be.Lo grew to be more focused and determined than ever before. Once released, he helped Subterraneous Records grow. Along with Trackezoids, One.Be.Lo released his unofficial solo project ?F.E.T.U.S.?, which was to prepare fans for his release ?L.I.F.E.?. Before we could experience ?L.I.F.E.?, One.Be.Lo released his official solo album ?S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.? (an acronym for ?Sounds Of Nashid Originate Good Rhymes And Music?). Released by Subterraneous Records and Fat Beats, ?S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.? is rich in themes, concepts, and lyrics. One.Be.Lo rides the beats from Trackezoids and rocks mics with Abdus Salaam, KaDi, Decompoze and Magestik Legend. From the opening track ?Underground?, there is an instant emotional and rhythmical takeover of the listener?s body and mind. ?Propaganda? discusses hype and the machine behind the hype as One.Be.Lo mentions the Internet, magazines, and many more. A truly heartfelt performance is evident on ?Oggie?, a song about a lost person. On a cold, winter evening in 2005, I had an insightful conversation with the emcee. As ?S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.? represents a stage during pregnancy, One.Be.Lo has finally been born. The birth of One.Be.Lo is a soulful and intelligent gift to hip-hop. The next generation of lyrical emcees has been born.

T.JONES: ?What goes on??
ONE.BE.LO: ?Man, I?m just trying to get the word out there. I want to let cats know what?s going on and what we are bringing to the table.?

T.JONES: ?Your debut solo album is called ?S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.? Tell us about it.?
ONE.BE.LO: ?Yeah, ?S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.? is basically a formal introduction of One.Be.Lo to the listener. I was apart of other projects in the past, but I didn?t feel that I truly introduced myself as an artist with those projects. On those projects, I don?t think the listener walked away knowing who I truly was. ?S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.? shows the listener who I am, what I bring to the table, and what I am like as an artist. Now, they can hear my style and delivery. The album is a good representation of me.?

T.JONES: ?What was the transition like from being OneManArmy in Binary Star to going solo and becoming One.Be.Lo??
ONE.BE.LO: ?I think the transition was freedom. It?s funny because many people do not know that the same people who put that other album together are still here. Other than the other emcee spitting the verses, I?m still making music the way I make music. The only difference is the label on the CD. It just has a different name on it.?

T.JONES: ?Will there be another Binary Star album??
ONE.BE.LO: ?We tried to link up and do it, but I seriously doubt it. I think we just got to that fork in the road 4 years ago and I felt that it would not work. A couple of years past, I was like ?Let?s see if we can make this work because people love this sh*t?.? At that point, we were just way past that fork in the road. He was on that side and I was on this side. We were just on different sh*t. Whatever that means. You can listen to his music and enjoy it. You can listen to my music and enjoy it. That doesn?t mean we can work together. Artists are real, real picky and real, real closed minded. They can be real, real strongly opinionated. If there ain?t no real chemistry, it ain?t going to work.?

T.JONES: ?Do you have a favorite song on ?S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.???
ONE.BE.LO: ?I don?t really make songs. I make albums. You know? When I start recording, I record a whole project. It varies from time to time and what mood I?m in. I only listen to a certain number of albums. I?m not the kind of person who goes straight to track 13. I put the sh*t in, start at track one, and I listen to it. If I can?t make a record like that, I won?t do it. Obviously, the tracks have to stand on their own. I don?t really have a favorite. It kind of depends on what mood I?m in and where I am at. If I had to choose, the track that best represents me is ?Rocketship.? That is j - Todd E Jones aka New Jeru Poet


"Binary Star :: Masters of the Universe :: Subterraneous Records"

Binary Star :: Masters of the Universe :: Subterraneous Records
as reviewed by Steve 'Flash' Juon
Are Binary Star on some next shit? Even the bio on their label's website warns you that "to fully appreciate Binary you can't just listen, you have to study." Damn. Is this album going to blow up if people have to approach it like taking a chemistry exam?

It would be unfortunate if it doesn't - this album represents everything that's right about underground hip-hop. Binary Star is comprised mainly of two MC's - Senim Silla and the constantly morphing madman loosely known as "The Anonymous" who goes by various names such as Mr. Hide, OneBeLo, and more. Like their dope tracks, the next move is completely unpredictable but almost inevitably dope.

For those people who heard Binary Star's last underground album "Waterworld" most of these tracks will already be familiar. The "Binary Shuffle" is amusing both in it's introduction, it's chorus ("Do we talk about the money we got? OHH NO! Talk about the people we shot? OHH NO!") and Silla's playfully braggadocious raps.

"Silla is a dog at this - the rap Cujo
Half of the star-spanglin dynamic duo
You may not know me now but, you will later
My crew bout to blow up - like inflators [..]
Gettin in the mix, don't even know the recipe
You know my aptitude - ain't no need for testin me"

There's lots of good material to salivate over here. The all-star "Fellowship" with D-Compoze and underground Michigan rap crew Athletic Mic League is definitely alladat, as are the also previous released but welcome reinclusions of "New Hip Hop" and the hip-hop stalking anthem "Glen Close." Yup - it's about a gwal who just can't leave Binary Star alone, but you won't be able to leave this track's dope piano loop and slamming beat out of your disc changer either. The title track "Masters of the Universe" though is one of those songs you might have to 'study' - it's dope but moves at such a quick tempo you'll probably have to check it three or four times to get all the rhymes.

My personal favorite track is another re-inclusion from their original "Waterworld" release - the dope duet with D-Compoze called "Indy 500." A scratchy, popping record break recurs throughout with a superb piano loop that makes this track one of the most simultaneously dirty and clean songs since Wu-Tang Clan introduced us to 36 Chambers almost a decade ago.

"All we need is beats and rhymes to go and spark it
As long as we got the underground yo, we got a market
I don't need a major to tell me how to run it
cause my goal's to win the Indy 500"

Superb. When listening to this album, don't forget to check for the linguistic styles of "Slang Blade", the thunderous boom bap of the opening track "Reality Check" and the spooky Halloween-esque themes of "Wolfman Jack." Actually there's not much to NOT check for here, both old and new. The changing beats of the melodic "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" perfectly suits the different verses about the ills of the prison system, the stark and stripped down sound of "Honest Expression" equally appropriate to it's title. Very few albums that come out are as well conceived or prepared as "Masters of the Universe" - which proves exactly why the title of Binary Star's national debut is truly apt.

- Steve 'Flash' Juon


Discography

Releases

1998

Binary Star - New Hip Hop b/w Slang Blade, Glen Close, Dat Fast Food Joint (Terrorist / Federation - 1998)
(12 Inch Single)

Side A
01. New Hip Hop
02. New Hip Hop (Instrumental)
03. Slang Blade
04. Slang Blade (Instrumental)
Side B
01. Glen Close
02. Glen Close (Instrumental)
03. Dat Fast Food Joint
04. Dat Fast Food Joint (Instrumental)

Binary Star - New Hip Hop b/w Slang Blade, Glen Close, Dat Fast Food Joint (Terrorist / Federation - 1998)
(Cassette Tape)

Side A
01. New Hip Hop
02. New Hip Hop (Instrumental)
03. Slang Blade
04. Slang Blade (Instrumental)
Side B
01. Glen Close
02. Glen Close (Instrumental)
03. Dat Fast Food Joint
04. Dat Fast Food Joint (Instrumental)

1999

Binary Star - WaterWorld (Terrorist - 1999)

01. Intro
02. New Hip Hop
03. Reality Check
04. Freakin Flowz (featuring Decompoze)
05. Binary Shuffle
06. Dat Fast Food Joint
07. Conquistadors
08. Fellowship (featuring Athletic Mic League & Decompoze)
09. Slang Blade
10. Indy 500 (Decompoze cut)
11. The Evolution of Man
12. What It's All About (featuring Decompoze)
13. Glen Close
14. Honest Expression
15. Wolf Man Jack
16. OneManArmy
17. K.G.B. (featuring Malaki The Most Hi, Texture, Elzhi, O-Type Star, Lacks & J.U.I.C.E.)

2000

Binary Star - Masters Of The Universe (Subterraneous - 2000)

01. Reality Check
02. Conquistadors
03. Solar Powered Intro
04. Solar Powered
05. Slang Blade Intro
06. Slang Blade
07. Binary Shuffle Intro
08. Binary Shuffle
09. Fellowship (featuring Athletic Mic League & Decompoze)
10. New Hip Hop
11. Masters of the Universe
12. Indy 500 (Decompoze cut)
13. Evolution of Man
14. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (part 1)
15. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (part 2)
16. Honest Expression
17. Honest Expression Outro
18. Glen Close
19. Wolf Man Jack Intro
20. Wolf Man Jack
21. One Man Army
22. K.G.B. Intro
23. K.G.B. (featuring Malaki The Most Hi, Texture, Elzhi, O-Type Star, Lacks & J.U.I.C.E.)
24. Outro

Binary Star - Reality Check b/w Conquistadors, K.G.B. (Subterraneous - 2000)
(12 Inch Single)

Side A

01. Reality Check
02. Reality Check (Instrumental)
03. Conquistadors
Side B
01. Conquistadors (Instrumental)
02. K.G.B. (featuring Malaki The Most Hi, Texture, Elzhi, O-Type Star, Lacks & Juice)
03. K.G.B. (Instrumental)

Binary Star - Solar Powered b/w Masters of the Universe, OneManArmy (Subterraneous - 2000)
(12 Inch Single)

Side A
01. Solar Powered
02. Solar Powered (Instrumental)
03. Masters of the Universe
Side B
01. Masters of the Universe (Instrumental)
02. OneManArmy
03. OneManArmy (Instrumental)

2001

Subterraneous - WaterWorld Too (Subterraneous - 2001)

01. Emerge-In-Sea-Intro
02. SUBstance
03. SUBTERRANEOUS
04. the SAGA CONTINUES
05. Splash
06. Rivers Run Wild
07. Monsters
08. MAG(nificent)7
09. WATERLUDE
10. Player Haters
11. WORD'em UP
12. LIFE in the FAST LANE
13. Pistons
14. JOKES ON YOU
15. MENTAL Planes
16. S.S.A. (double essay's)
17. MILLIPEDE
18. Beat Break
19. WaterWorldWide

2002

Subterraneous - Rivers Run Wild b/w Word'em Up (Subterraneous - 2002)
(12 Inch Single)

Side A
01. Rivers Run Wild (Dirty) - OneManArmy, Kodac, Illite, Magestik Legend
02. Rivers Run Wild (Radio) - OneManArmy, Kodac, Illite, Magestik Legend
03. Rivers Run Wild (Instrumental)
Side B:
01. Word'em Up (Dirty) - BoyOneDa, Magestik Legend, Illite, Kodac
02. Word'em Up (Instrumental)
03. Rivers Run Wild (Acapella) - OneManArmy, Kodac, Illite, Magestik Legend

One Be Lo - Project: F.E.T.U.S. (Subterraneous - 2002)
For Everybody That UnderStands

01. Intro
02. Anybody
03. Lesson #1
04. Mic Check (featuring Buff 1)
05. Dro (featuring Magestik Legend)
06. Fast Food Remix (featuring Magestik Legend, Decompoze & Illite)
07. Take It 2 Da Stage (featuring Decompoze)
08. What Time is it
09. Here and Now
10. Alphabet Soup
11. One Man's Mission
12. WaterWorld
13. The Grinch that Stole Christmas
14. Sportz Illa (featuring Decompoze)
15. Candlestick
16. What it's all about (Remix) (featuring Decompoze)
17. Double Essay (S.S.A.) (Remix)
18. Freakin' Flowz (Remix) (featuring Decompoze)
19. One Man Army (Remix)
Note: This was later picked up by LA Underground and re-released in 2003.

2004

One Be Lo - Rocketship b/w E.T. (Subterraneous / Fat Beats - 2004)
(12 Inch Single)

Side A: "Rocketship"
01. Clean
02. Instrumental
03. Acapella
Side B: "E.T."
01. Dirty
02. Clean
03. Instrumental

2005

One Be Lo - Decepticons (Pete Rock Remix) (Subterraneous / Fat Beats - 2005)
(12 Inch Single)

Side A: "Decepticons (Pete Rock Remix)"
01. Dirty
02. Clean
03. Instrumental
Side B: "Decepticons (Album Version)"
01. Dirty
02. Clean
03. Instrumental

One Be Lo - S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. (Subterraneous / Fat Beats - 2005)
Sounds Of Nahshid Originate Good Rhyme

Photos

Bio

There are many poets, and far too many rappers, but the mastery of One Be Lo's wordplay, metaphors, story telling skills, and socially concious lyrics place him in a league above the rest. His ability to translate life experience into music, passion into performance, allows One Be Lo to command attention both on record and stage.

Born just North of Detroit Michigan, Raland Scruggs aka One Man Army would grow up in Pontiac where the once almighty General Motors Corporation would begin to shut down factories that employed thousands, leaving many jobless, and the city wounded. These blue collar origins, would teach him the meaning of hard work, and the impact of Motown in his home would unknowingly plant the seeds for a future artist.

He would end his brief career in jazz band, and he began writing rhymes for fun in 7th grade. By age 16 this aspiring producer was digging in his step-fathers record collection for samples, and recording with highschool friends, during what many would consider to be the golden years of Hip Hop.

The summer after highschool graduation, life would take a drastic turn when One Be Lo's extra-curricular activities would land him in prison for 2 and a half years. While inside Lo embraces the teachings of Islam(changes his name to Nahshid Sulaiman), and along with fellow inmate Senim Silla they would study the music business and form a Hip Hop group called Binary Star.

Upon release Binary Star went straight to work, announcing to friends how they would produced and release their own music. They recorded a 4 song EP("New Hip Hop"/1998), and next an album titled "Waterworld" (1999), while still on parole. Once Waterworld hit the internet, online hip hop magazines and message boards would dub it a " classic". Without touring, publicity, marketing, or management, popular demand would soon prompt Distribution company TRC (San Francisco) to sign a distribution deal that would further push Binary Star (Motu 2000) into playlists across the globe. There are good things that come to an end, and within a 2 year period Binary Star would break up, citing creative differences.

In early 2000, he organized a production team(Trackezoids) and started a new movement/record label called Subterraneous. As an activist, One Man Army would speak to youth in schools, organize workshops, sit on a variety of panels, and work as an ally with student and community organizations across the U.S. As an artist he would produce and rap on Subterraneous Records projects(WaterWorld Too, 2001), that would also help to jumpstart the careers of other recruited Michigan artists such as Decompoze, Octane, Illite, and others. Under Lo's guidance, The Subterraneous collective would build a reputation for destroying stages through out the midwest.

Since his days of little league baseball, Lo has always been a team player, but even then his voice and technique have always stood out amongst the crowd. Subterraneous would release his solo project, "F.e.t.u.s."(2002). Without a manager, a booking agent, or industry connections, he would take his music/ movement to cities all over the US in true road warrior fashion, sharing the stage with the likes of Wu Tang Clan, De La Soul, Mos Def, MF Doom, Rakim, Dead Prez, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco KRS One, and many more.

From constant Networking and relentless touring, the rising star caught the ears of FatBeats records(New York) and he would become the first artist signed to their label division. He would change his name from One Man Army to One Be Lo to avoid further confusion or potential legal tussles with a Punk Band who shared the same name. FatBeats released "S.o.n.o.g.r.a.m."(2005), URB magazine cites One Be Lo in its "Next 100", and after rave reviews One Be Lo would again earn critical acclaim, this time as a solo artist.

With a reputation as one of the hardest working artist in HipHop, National student organizations such as Hip Hop congress, and Community Organizations such as Iman(Chicago) recruit One Be Lo as an artist/activist/spokesman. Lo becomes a member of the World Champion Massive Monkees BBoy collective(Seattle), and is embraced by BBoy culture performing at international events such as Battle of the Year(Germany) and Freestyle Session(Europe, Asia, U.S.). The Vans Warped Tour(U.S.) booked One Be Lo as one of the few Hip Hop artists on its 60 city rock tour for 3 years. Again in road warrior fashion, Canada and Europe are added to his tour schedule, as well as a hosts of Music Festivals such as SXSW, Bumbershoot, D.E.M.F., CMJ's, Scribble Jam just to name a few. Lo eventually outgrows FatBeats, and convinces them to release him from his contractual obligations.

Frequent travelling to Europe and the Middle East not only broadens exposure, but also his world view of culture and struggle. In 2007 he relocates from Michigan to Cairo. From a Pontiac prince to a King in Egypt, Lo now commutes to Europe and the U.S. To record and tour.

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