Get to Know Artist: BLO

Here is a quick interview with Artist B.L.O. CEO of  Bomb Baby Unlimited. I have personally known this artist a little over six years now. It was something as simple as us liking the old school teen duo Kris Kross that  automatically linked us. As further down the road we would participate in same artist's showcases. I was fortunate to see this young artist develop his craft. I must say, a lot of unsigned artists can rock as hard if not harder than some signed acts (in my very own opinion)

Get to know artist BLO:

What is the meaning behind your name (BLO)?

Originally it was an acronym for Bust Lyrics Outstanding, but over time I got better & got a lil more confident now it stands for the Best Lyricist Out.

What kind of music and artists did you listen to growing up?

I'm an 80s baby so I listened to a lil bit of everything. Rap, R&B, Pop, Rock, House. You name it. Micheal, Whitney, Janet, Cindi Lauper, Aerosmith, El Debarge, basically if it was poppin in the 80s I was on it. I was drawn to hip hop by the movie "Disorderlies" with The Fat Boys. I just loved that they made hip hop look fun. I credit them as well as Kid N Play and the House Party movie for making me fall in love with hip hop. A few years later, Kris Kross came out & they were only about a year or 2 older than me. So when I seen them do it, I thought it was cool, I never seen kid rappers before. And as the saying goes, the rest is history...

If you could name one artist that has played major influence in your music style, who would it be? And why?

Masta Ace, formerly of Cold Chillin Records (The Juice Crew), to me he is the total package MC. I never wanted to be a one dimensional artist, I wanted to be able to do it all. But I think I am a lil mixture of my favorite artists. Masta Ace as I mentioned before, Warren G because of his laid back approach, Camp Lo because of their originality, Ras Kass because of his wordplay and quick wit, Chino XL because of his punchlines and A Tribe Called Quest because of their vibe & the mood of their music.

At what age did you start rapping?

I started rapping at 9 years old, and running my label, Bomb Baby Unlimited at 14 years old.

When and with what equipment did you record your very first rap song?

Wow! I don't remember when, it was long ago. But I started using a regular boom box,a regular JVC boom box, we didn't have a microphone so we took a headphone & broke it in half. We plugged it into the mic input and rapped directly into the headphones. The recordings sounded like crap but when your broke and got a dream you work with what you got.

I know that's right! Now, do you compose your own music material or do you have a ghostwriter?
I write my own music as well as music for others. Aside from rap, I also write R&B, and Pop

what do you think of rappers that do not write their own material?
I know a lot of people [rip] artists that don't write their own material, but not everybody can do everything. Some people are great writers but cant sing, some are great singers but cant write, some people just have a better appeal, better personality than others. So in some cases you can understand why a ghostwriter is necessary. And I don't knock nobody's gig. Do your thing!

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Still CEO of Bomb Baby Unlimited! But I want  Bomb Baby to be one of the top Indie labels in the business. Not sure if I will still be making records myself but you better believe I will still be doing shows and performing.

What makes you stand out from other rappers that are also pursuing a music career?
The fact that I'm not afraid to show that I'm a regular person. No gimmick, I'm not a super gangster,a drug dealer or "Thug". I'm not a pimp or player! I'm a regular guy, going through regular things that everyone can relate to. But I have a way with words and I know I'm good at it so I wont hesitate to let that be known. I also think the fact that I don't really try to follow trends or be a copycat I just do me. Take it or leave it, no frills.

Speaking of originality, can you give us a brief description of your album?
My album is a justified introduction to B.L.O . It shows me flexing my lyrical skills, and making magic with words but then it also shows that I feel and go through things that people go through everyday as well. I think it's different from anything out right now but definitely worth the listen because it's quality from beginning to end.


Who do you see yourself collaborating with, as far as a sign artist? and why?
First and foremost Alma V because I think she is on the road to greatness and is one hit away from being the next big star! But I always been a die hard Vanessa Williams fan, she has been very underrated throughout her career, I think we would have a real cool collabo.

OK, So You put me on the spot! Thank you for spreading the love. Now back to you! You mentioned that you are more confident now,  how did you develop this confidence? Did it happen overnight?

Just practicing my craft. You should always be confident in what you do, but when you can listen back to your older material and see the improvement, it is a huge boost. You should always be your toughest competition and your hardest critic. Because you have to be your biggest fan in the end and if you can't impress yourself you shouldn't be doing it.

I can relate to you on some levels. We are both underground artists with a great big talent to offer. And being artists we deal with some people that don't quite see our vision. How do you get past the negative comments from obviously negative people?

You can't impress everyone, no matter how good or bad you are there will always be people who support you and people who don't care for you. You can't be deterred by that, you just gotta keep doing what you do for yourself and those that support you.

For more B.L.O check him out at:

links

www.bombbabyunlimited.com

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fuser%2Fblobombbaby&h=065a1bJzUmzNV3MB37gY7S6Mtew

http://www.bxrecords.com/profile/BLOmusic

bombbabyunlimited.com