Binary Star at Triple Rock Social Club on 1/11/08

By: Amber Schadewald

One Be Lo of Binary Star - Photo by Kyle Johnson

A duo from Michigan, Binary Star consists of One Be Lo and Senim Silla, who until recently, haven’t played with one another since 2002 due to “creative differences.” I was told by a trusted hip-hop loving friend to see Binary Star if I ever had the chance, for I would not be disappointed. I’m not sure he was entirely correct. 

Throughout their performance, the two rappers performed one at a time, leaving not only physical space between them, but the loss of an artist to artist connection. Immediately I found their “too cool” presence a turn-off. Senim Silla started out the set in his camo hat with slick raps and only a minor shine. He’s got a real consistent sound, very typical of new school Midwest hip-hop. It was real difficult to catch lyrics, but the beats were easy to feel in all parts of my body. 

One Be Lo came out, rhyming about his home state, hat backwards with the word “hater” sewn across the forehead. He and Silla stopped the music and asked the crowd to make noise if “you’re a survivor, ya know?” I didn’t know, and therefore I just stood silent. In the same moment, I also marked up my face with a pen. Thankfully, my date is also not a “survivor” and therefore had time to wipe off the mark with spit. 

I noted that regardless of track, I felt like Binary Star’s rhythm never really fluctuated. I got tired of the recorded choruses and in general, I just wasn’t as impressed as I had hoped to be. I did appreciate the two-minute acoustic break where One Be Lo took time to rap about Christopher Columbus, Black History and politics. His hat at this point had changed; this one read, “truth.” 

A moderate show in comparison to the long list of hip-hop that makes me sweat love, yet it wasn’t a downer by any means. If OBL and SS could become better buddies, instead of just co-workers, I think their collaboration would result in gold stars.

Location Info: Triple Rock Social Club
Artist Info: Binary Star

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