In a sea of hiphop fishes taking a bite of commercial bait.It is good to know that there’s still some schools that use intelect in order not getting caught.  For some, staying submerged and avoiding the mainstream might not be viable option. Big Lo however, is one fish who chooses to swim the indie ocean,surviving & gaining respect by lacing beats and kicking concsious raps.  Check out this short Q&A AG staff had with him.

Describe a day in the life of Big Lo.

I usually wake up early in the morning, burn one, get some reading done than get to work. I take careof all my phone calls and e-mails I need to, than it’s off to the lab, either working on beats, recording for myself, or other people. I run a full studio, so my days are very busy. I hardly have an off day but when I do I like to go crate digging at a couple different spots here in Tallahassee or just relaxwith my people.

You’re based in Florida. How does your enviroment influence you to kick conscious lyrics?

The environment I live in is very backwards. There is still a ton of racism, the cops are mad
dirty, and a lot of people still live with that slave mentality. Most of the other emcees around heretalk about selling dope and other shit and I’ve lived that life when I was younger and it’s nothing to glamorize. I’m trying to wake people up and build for future generations.

You were incarcerated for a short while. Did that play a big role in you converting to Islam?

Not directly. The biggest thing being incarcerated did for me was it got me into reading things with a lot more substance. Prior to being locked up I wasn’t really going to school or reading but when I got popped I began to realize the importance of the quest for knowledge.

You have very interesting origins. Give us short brake-down where you’re from.

I’ve lived around Florida my entire life, but I come from a different background than most of the
people I know. My mother’s side of the family is from Macedonia which is the historical home of
Alexander the Great, so that’s pretty dope. They immigrated to America thru Canada in the early
20th century. My father’s side of the family is Basque, they come from Northern Spain but were
forced to flee to Morocco because of Franco tyranical rule. My father was born and raised in Morocco.

You’ve just completed touring in Orlando. How did heads in the South respond to your shows?

People usually respond pretty well to my shows because I’m a good live performer. Orlando for the Florida Music Festival was dope. I made a lot of good connections and the AKA Lounge, Full Sail, and OrlandoCityBeat.com showed a lot of love.

You’re an independent artist putting out your own product. Do you see yourself being signed to a major label?

I would like to be signed and given the freedom to focus strictly on the art. I also realize that a lot of the subjects I touch on the major labels are scared to support. Also, the harder that I’m working as an indie artist is earning respect from more and more people so God willing I won’t need a major label in order to live off my craft.

What kind of music other than hiphop do you listen to?

I listen to some of everything. I was raised in a very diverse musical environment, but I would say for the most part Im a fan of Soul, Funk, Classic Rock, Latin Jazz, and Orchestral Music.

You’re on the verge of releasing “MindState:Freedom” How many albums have you released thus far?

I’ve released two official albums so far, “Where Am I Going?” and “Guerillas In Tha Mixx Vol. 1”, but I’ve also relased 4 mix-tapes with Kill-A-Foe Records and have been featured on 5 other projects as an MC and have done beats for a multitude of people.

What next for Big Lo?

I’m getting ready to release MindState: Freedom and have a few more shows lined up for the summer which is cool. I’m always working on new music and just trying to network and build with as many people as possible. Maybe one day I’ll be blessed with the opportunity to come rock in Africa. PEACE

www.soloproductionz.com

www.biglohiphop.com

Inteview by KOLD STONE

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