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Nashid
Sulaiman, a.k.a. One Be Lo,
has been writing rhymes since 1988 and
rockin’ mics since 1992. Growing
up as a hip-hop kid on the outskirts
of Detroit in Pontiac, Michigan, Lo
spent his childhood listening to KRS-ONE
and Ice Cube and crafted his vocal style
in the image of these rap icons. As
a teen, Lo was in several local rap
groups and decided that being a rapper
was the only career path for him. Sadly,
his youthful dreams were interrupted
when he got caught up in a different
path that landed him behind bars for
a few years. Instead of sitting idle,
Lo used the time in which he was incarcerated
to study business, the music industry,
and further advance his verbal skills.
After completing his sentence, One Be
Lo (under the name OneManArmy)
and friend Senim Silla formed the group
Binary Star.
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The
group spent mostof
1997 and 1998 recording and performing shows
throughout the Midwest helping turn that region’s
hip-hop scene on its ear along with Eminem
and Slum Village. They finished and self distributed
an EP entitled New Hip-Hop
and set out to expand their fan base beyond
Michigan’s borders. With a word-of-mouth
buzz about their exciting shows and new EP,
Binary Star was able to get billed on almost
every hip-hop event from Cincinnati to Detroit
to Minneapolis to Chicago.
They were becoming Midwest stars and at the
same time were able to record a full-length
album they entitled Waterworld.
The album quickly gained a demand larger than
what Lo and Senim could keep up with, and
they licensed the album to California based
distribution company, TRC. Waterworld
was remixed, re-mastered, re-packaged
and re-titled Master Of The Universe.
It was then released wide in late 2000 and
became one of the brightest commercial and
critical successes on the indie-rap scene
for that year. Binary Star were on their way
and everyone was sure the group had a big
time future. Unfortunately, by the time
“aster Of The Universe hit store
shelves the pair had split and Binary Star
was broken up.
In
the wake of his group’s premature
demise, Lo had no choice but to turn his
focus to his personal vision and established
his own independent label, Subterraneous
Records. He recruited some of Michigan’s
most talented producers and emcees and masterminded
a compilation album that showcased his new
solo material alongside the best of what
Michigan had to offer. This album entitled
Waterworld Too (released
in 2002), gave the Motown collective a platform
from which they launched an extensive tour
of show dates across the map. During this
time, Lo joined fellow Midwestern rappers
Atmosphere and underground
touring legends like Company Flow
on the road and established himself a fervent
fan base from Chicago to California. One
Be Lo had successfully transformed himself
from unknown local teen rapper to emcee
of a burgeoning group to a solo act on the
rise. Lo was ready for his next logical
step: a worldwide release with proper marketing
and distribution.
S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.
(Sounds Of Nashid Originate
Good Rhymes And Music) is
inarguably his best work to date blending
personal experience, creative storytelling,
witty punchlines, and a smooth delivery
over tight beats produced by himself and
Subterraneous partner, Decompoze
(operating as the production team, Trackezoids).
After a bidding war amongst several independent
record labels, Lo decided that the artist
friendly approach and BMG backed distribution
of Fat Beats Records would
be the best fit for his creative vision
and signed to the label as their first ever
officially signed artist. Check the S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.
for the birth of Hip-Hop's new sensation,
One Be Lo.
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