I was born on October 9th, 1982 to Gerard and Cecilia Lopez and raised all over the beautiful state of Florida. I was first introduced to Hip-Hop in 1989 with Kool Moe Dee’s “Knowledge is King” and knew from that point on that this would be my life. Growing up in Florida, 1000 miles away from Hip-Hop’s epicenter in New York, I grasped to everything related to the culture that I could find. I gravitated towards anything I would see on MTV or read in the Source. I impatiently waited for Tuesday to come so I could go to the record store and check out the latest releases. As an adult, Hip-Hop has helped sculpt every ounce of my being. Hip-Hop has influenced my growth politically, philosophically and culturally. It may sound extreme to some, but most of my reading, spiritual beliefs and even my refusal to eat pork I learned from Hip-Hop.
As an emcee I’ve been labeled as “East Coast” or “New York” which is just fine with me being that New York is the birthplace of this culture that I’ve come to know and love. I began writing and freestyling in the middle to late 90’s but didn’t really become too serious until about 2000 while dealing with some personal legal troubles. My influences as an emcee are not confined to any specific geographical location as I draw my inspiration from artists such as Ghostface, Yukmouth, Scarface, Vinnie Paz and Canibus. Over the years I’ve been honored with the chance to collaborate with other well known Hip-Hop luminaries such as Vast Aire, Beretta 9 of Killarmy, G.O.D. of Pitch Black, Tonedeff and Jade Foxx. I possess the uncanny ability to rhyme about damn near anything under the sun that interests me and sometimes I tend to get on the microphone and just black out.
As a producer I am quite nice. I’ve been making beats since 2000 and am widely respected. I consider myself versatile and my styles can range anywhere from grimy to smooth. If you want that crunk crap you can look somewhere else. I’m not really a fan of the same claps, annoying synths, and double time high hats. My sample heavy production is influenced by the likes of The RZA, Pete Rock, DJ Premier, The Beatnuts, and Havoc of Mobb Deep. My current weapons of choice include the MPC 2000xl, a Korg Triton LE, a Stanton Str8-20 Turntable and Sony Acid Pro 6.0 with the Waves Mercury Plug-Ins. I search long and hard for the illest records to chop and sample and in my decade of digging I’ve amassed a collection of nearly one thousand LP’s from every genre known to man. In other words, I’m dope!
Most emcees suck as entertainers. I am not one of them. I got my start as a live performer in 2003 when I was attending the University of West Florida. In my time there I got the opportunity to battle on campus, rock numerous house parties and open up for the Poets of the 5th Element at Room 10-26 and the Old Town Tavern. Since then I have rocked the Revolution Break Battle in Atlanta in 2006, the Florida Music Festival in Orlando back-to-back years in 2007 and 2008, and Krib.tv in the Sony Music Building in Miami twice in 2008. I have also performed at numerous other nightclubs and parties throughout Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Now, with the help of some of my closest associates I run a monthly Hip-Hop event in Pensacola at Sluggo’s called Hip-Hop 101. We have been honored to bring dope acts to the area from New York, Atlanta, and Tallahassee.
My catalogue is vast. In addition to numerous mixtape appearances, I was featured on “Guerrillas In The Mixx: Volume 1” (2005) which also had appearances from Public Enemy, The Coup, Afrika of the Jungle Brothers and Michael Franti of Spearhead. I also independently released two solo albums: “Where Am I Going?” (2005) and “MindState: Freedom” (2007) as well as my “First Priority” (2008) mixtape that was hosted by Shadyville/G-Unit’s DJ Epps. Now I am currently finishing up “Ill International” which is being entirely produced in the Netherlands by DaShin. Through all of my hard work and dedication I have received press and airplay on both a local and international level. I’m really proud of all of the accomplishments that I’ve made thus far, but don’t plan on giving up any time soon for I feel as if I’ve only just started climbing the mountain. PEACE
Contact Big Lo
So-Lo Productionz
Attn: Big Lo
3121 W. La Rua Street
Pensacola, FL 32505
admin@soloproductionz.com
(850)728-1000 (booking information)
