That Realness Is Now Closed!!!

Binary Star were an alternative hip hop group formed in 1998 that comprised of One Be Lo and Senim Silla. While in prison, One Be Lo met Senim Silla, and the two formed Binary Star during their time in Hiawatha Correctional Facility. One.Be.Lo took the time to gather extensive amounts of knowledge pertaining to the music industry, such as copyrights, publishing, and how to successfully start a record company. In his own words, he "learned how to hustle legally".

Their debut effort, Waterworld was produced on a $500 budget and released in 1999, under the label Terrorist Records. An extensive tour of Michigan followed, as both members of the duo were on parole and were not permitted to leave the state. Binary Star then switched to Subterraneous Records and released Masters of the Universe, named for a track on the album. This album was essentially just a remixed version of Waterworld, but garnered far more attention, as the album sold 20,000 copies. However, the pair were not getting along particularly well, and, citing creative differences, Binary Star was discontinued. They reunited briefly in 2002, doing a concert together at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, but they did not record any new material. Although there has inevitably been speculation about a reformation of Binary Star, One.Be.Lo has stated that this is unlikely. "I seriously doubt it", he said, proceeding to claim, "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."

Binary Star's legacy, while minor, is still apparent, as Masters of the Universe and its earlier counterpart Waterworld are still highly regarded by many fans of underground hip hop.

1. Reality Check
2. Conquistadors
3. Solar Powered (Intro)
4. Solar Powered
5. Slang Blade (Intro)
6. Slang Blade
7. Binary Shuffle (Intro)
8. Binary Shuffle
9. Fellowship (Featuring Athletic Mic League & Decompoze)
10. New Hip Hop
11. Masters of the Universe
12. Indy 500 (Featuring Decompoze)
13. Evolution of Man (Featuring Brenda J)
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. Wolfman Jack (Intro)
20. Wolfman Jack
21. OneManArmy
22. The KGB (Intro)
23. The KGB (Featuring Malaki, Texture, Elzhi, O-Type, Lacks & J.U.I.C.E.)
24. Album Outro

*a-FILI-ated*
Without doubt one of the illest hip hop albums, ever!!! This is one of my early experiences of really gettin into underground hip hop properly. As soon as I heard the first track, I was hooked. This album is really an underrated and overlooked gem. They way OneManArmy (One Be Lo) & Senim Silla flow back and forth between each other is sometimes mesmerizing. Serioulsy, if you ain't got this or even haven't heard it yet (where you been??!!) then now's your chance to get your hands on a hip hop masterpiece!
Still not sure?... click HERE to see one of many dope reviews for this album... all normal hip hop heads like you and me, let's see what they gotta say!