One Be Lo facts for kids

One Be Lo is the stage name of Raland Scruggs (born November 7, 1976). He is also known as Nahshid Sulaiman. One Be Lo is a talented alternative hip hop artist from Pontiac, Michigan.

He is famous for being one half of the rap group Binary Star. He has also released many popular solo albums. One Be Lo is also a member of Massive Monkees, a world-champion B-boy crew.

About One Be Lo

Early Life and Influences

One Be Lo was born in Pontiac, Michigan. His mother worked as a beautician. His stepfather worked at a factory. When he was 18, One Be Lo spent some time in a correctional facility. While there, he read many books. He also became a Muslim. During this time, he and Senim Silla formed the rap group Binary Star.

Music Career

Binary Star Group

After One Be Lo was released, he and Senim Silla officially started the hip-hop group Binary Star in 1998. They quickly began making music. Their first album was called Waterworld. They worked with other artists like Elzhi and J.U.I.C.E. The album was very creative and shared important messages.

One Be Lo also formed a production team with Decompoze. They had recorded music together in high school. Waterworld quickly sold out its first 1,000 copies. Many people called it an "instant classic." One Be Lo wanted to rap anonymously at first. But fans often called him OneManArmy because of a line in one of his songs.

In 2000, they re-released Waterworld with new songs. This new version was called Masters of the Universe. The group then focused on touring and recording more music. Later, One Be Lo and Senim Silla decided to go their separate ways. One Be Lo said it was because they had different ideas for their music.

In 2013, Binary Star released an EP (Extended Play album). It was called Binary Star (15 Year Anniversary Edition).

Solo Music Journey

In January 2000, One Be Lo started his own record label called Subterraneous Records. A year later, Subterraneous Records released WaterWorld Too. This album featured many artists from his label. At the same time, he kept working on his own music with producer Decompoze.

In late 2002, One Be Lo released a collection of songs called Project F.E.T.U.S.. The letters F.E.T.U.S. stand for "For Everybody That Under Stands." These songs were not originally meant to be released.

S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. and S.T.I.L.L.B.O.R.N.

Project F.E.T.U.S. became very popular. After this success, he finished his next album, S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.. This title means "Sounds Of Nahshid Originate Good Rhymes And Music." He worked with Fat Beats Records for this album.

In 2003, One Be Lo signed a deal with Fat Beats for distributing his music. The label asked him to change his stage name from OneManArmy. This was to avoid problems with a punk band that had a similar name. So, he changed his name to OneBeLo. He had already used this name with Project F.E.T.U.S..

S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. was released in 2005. It featured other Michigan rappers like Abdus Salaam. The album was highly praised by music critics. It sold about 12,000 copies in its first few weeks. Many people admired One Be Lo for his thoughtful and smart lyrics. From 2005 to 2007, One Be Lo toured a lot. He performed about 160 shows each year.

The R.E.B.I.R.T.H.

One Be Lo moved his family to Egypt for a while. He wanted them to experience a different culture. When he returned, he released The R.E.B.I.R.T.H. in 2007. The title means "Real Emcees Bring Intelligent Rhymes To Hip-Hop." This album marked new beginnings in his life.

For this album, One Be Lo worked with producers like Lab Techs and Jake One. Instead of recording many songs and picking the best, he focused on creating one complete work. This project was called B.A.B.Y..

B.A.B.Y.

Much of the album B.A.B.Y. was lost when thieves stole studio equipment. This album was planned to feature artists like Freeway, Phonte, Devin The Dude, and Royce da 5'9". Also, the record label he signed with, MYX, closed down before the album could be released.

L.A.B.O.R.

In 2011, One Be Lo released L.A.B.O.R.. This title stands for "Language Arts Based On Reality." The album uses ideas from animals and different jobs as metaphors. Most of the music was produced by D Will, 14KT, Nick Speed, and Vitamin D. L.A.B.O.R. also showed off the musical skills of other artists from Pontiac.

The NEWPRINT

On July 19, 2015, One Be Lo announced that he had signed with a record label group called "The NEWPRINT."

One Be Lo's Rap Style

One Be Lo is known as "the MC's MC." This means other rappers respect his skills. People often praise his clear way of speaking and his exact rapping style. His lyrics are also known for being thoughtful and meaningful. Fans of alternative hip hop especially appreciate this.

Allmusic, a music website, noted this in their review of S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M.. They said that One Be Lo is a deep thinker. His detailed and complex rhymes often need to be listened to many times to fully understand them. His words are wise, and he delivers them in a calm, confident way. He shares his wisdom and offers solutions to problems without sounding like he is lecturing.

Discography

Binary Star Albums

• Waterworld – 1999
• Masters of the Universe – 2000
• Binary Star EP (15 Year Anniversary Edition) – 2013
• Masters of the Universe (MOTU) (re-release) – 2016
• Water World 3 – 2017
• LIGHTY – 2018
• EARS APART – 2018

Solo Albums

• WaterWorld Too – 2001
• Project: F.E.T.U.S. – 2002
• S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. – 2005
• S.T.I.L.L.B.O.R.N. – 2005
• Project F.E.T.U.S. (2CD Re-Issue) – 2007
• The R.E.B.I.R.T.H. – 2007
• L.A.B.O.R. – 2011
• K.I.C.K. P.U.S.H. – 2012
• C-S.E.C.T.I.O.N. – 2020
• B.A.B.Y. – 2020

Official Mixtapes

• S.T.I.L.L.B.O.R.N. – 2005
• Laborhood Part 1 – 2011
• Laborhood Part 2 – 2011
• Laborhood Part 3 – 2012
• Laborhood Part 4 – 2015
• 10 G.R.A.Ms – 2015
• The Original Born Ones – 2016
• Laborhood Part 5 – 2017