HHS: First of all, let’s talk about the new album…what can we expect from a collaboration between One Be Lo and Majestik Legend? Is this Binary Star II or something completely different?

Lo: With this project, I gotta be on top of my game because Magestik Legend is on top of his. Because of that we bringing the best out of each other. As producers, our production is getting better so overall I think the sound is better than anything I’ve ever put out. Binary Star was me & Senim Silla rhyming over beats that me & Decompoze produced, so that would make this sound completely different.

HHS: Is it hard to do a whole project with a co-MC after having worked on solely solo material for release lately?

Lo: Not really because working with another artist brings a different side of creativity out of me that I wouldn’t necessarily get working alone. So I look forward to working in all types of different situations in order to develop my creative skills in all types of different ways.

HHS: Will this release be with Fat Beats as well or are you still looking around?

Lo: Its all up in the air right now, we’re just trying to concentrate on making this the best album we can before we get too deep into the business stuff because sometimes that can affect the way you go into the project.

HHS: I don’t imagine the stage show being any harder working with Majestik considering he’s performed at many a show with you already…any comment on that? Any changes in the live performances expected yet…

Lo: Obviously we’ll be performing new material, and because we feel confident about the material, the confidence has inspired us to take it to another level on stage.

HHS: Is all of the production being handled solely in the Subterraneous crew?

Lo: Yes. Trackezoids is holding down the production. Because we’re still recording at the moment, we don’t know how many beats are going to be on the album, at least 95% of the production is done by myself & Magestik Legend and we want to emphasize that with this project we ain’t just emcees, but also producers.

HHS: There have been a lot of collaboration rumours swirling around lately regarding you and a gang of folks…any of those you can confirm or squash?

Lo: There’s a few collabs in the works that I’m excited about and I think people would be excited about, but right now, I’m trying to focus on finishing the Security project, which is taking a lot of my creative time & energy. We’re trying to set the standard for this record, so everything I do after this will only motivate me to raise the bar even higher.

HHS: Did you meet all your own personal expectations for SONOGRAM? Did the fans and critics embrace it the way you hoped…was its content even grasped in the manner you’d intended it?

Lo: The only expectations I had for SONOGRAM was to make a record that I could listen to every day and I did that as well as build expectations for my next project and I think there’s a few people that are looking forward to what the future has in store. I got a lot of good feedback from the record, I think its pretty easy to listen to this record and walk away with a pretty good understanding of who I am and what I’m about.

HHS: Cuz I know there were a few issues about specific racial references in one of your songs…

Lo: Oh word, I wasn’t even aware of that.

HHS: What keeps Lo ticking? What keeps you constantly touring and recording?

Lo: Whatever is ticking, it wouldn’t be ticking if it wasn’t for Allah. Now what keeps me touring is the desire to pay my bills and spread this music to people who haven’t heard it yet as well as the people who want to see us bring it live and get the full experience. What keeps me recording is just the desire to express myself and make an impact.

HHS: Speaking of touring, what were your intentions with doing spots on the Warped Tour? I always wonder what exactly hip-hop acts are aiming for being on a rock tour…expanding the fan base? Exposing fans to something new?

Lo: The statement I was trying to make on the Warped tour wasn’t towards the fans it was towards the booking agents and the record labels. Showing my willingness to go out on the road and support an album. You would be surprised how many artists don’t tour at all, so me doing 70+ shows in 75 days makes a huge statement. Plus I had to prove to myself that I could do it. I went out there by myself. I drove around the country by myself. Performed sometimes 2 shows in one day, but I did it. To me that was more than music and hiphop. It was like a purification. I definitely didn’t want to give the impression that after signing to Fat Beats and dropping my record I didn’t have to do those kind of things. I experienced some things that I never experienced before on the road, like car accidents, etc. etc. but that didn’t stop me from doing what I had to do. It was a humbling experience. A lot of those places on the warped tour were places I never been before and I seen an opportunity to go to some of those places, so I went.

HHS: With three kids waiting for you at home, do touring and other artist duties ever seem more like chores than realized dreams?

Lo: For me, being an artist is no different than being a father, a man. Its just a part of my nature, so I do what I gotta do. Some people work, some people go to school. I do those same things, I just do them in the form of a music career. My social life is hiphop. My job is hip-hop. Its my way of life and my family is affected by it, but its all one in the same for me. At least for now.

HHS: Can we expect any releases from the rest of the Subterraneous roster any time soon? I recall Majestik Legend mentioning something about solo album, I think, in his “Mic Check” freestyle…

Lo: We’re all solo artists, and everybody in the crew is constantly working on material. I’m not aware of any release dates, but you can expect to hear something coming from everybody in the future.

HHS: Any particular reason that you tend to keep everythin within the family for all your releases (with the exception of the dope Pete Rock
remix to “Decepticons”)?

Lo: Well as a fan, I like what we do. As an artist, we inspire me to do what I do. As a business person, we’re trying to stamp our brand out on the world, so why sidetrack that mission by working with somebody else when we ain’t got our name out there yet. I don’t have a problem with working with other producers I just never thought about it, just like I never thought about somebody else writing my rhymes, but I do have a problem with that.