“Masters of the Universe” – Binary Star (2000 Album) [Mitch Nick’s Picks]

*This post from 2023 got a “Quality Post” flag on Reddit*

I’m going back a little farther this week to the turn of the millennia when Binary Star, a group which consisted of Senim Silla and One Be Lo, released their album “Masters of the Universe”. Though, technically, it is a polished-up version of their album “Waterworld” which was released the year before in 1999. The group and that first album have a very interesting story as Senim Silla and One Be Lo, who are both from Pontiac, Michigan, met while doing time in Hiawatha Correctional Facility and thereafter recorded “Waterworld” with a budget of only $500 which meant they needed to record the whole thing in one take. They sold out of the only 1,000 copies they made which allowed them to turn around and come out with “Masters of the Universe” a year later. Unfortunately, despite very good reviews in the underground circuit, “Masters of the Universe” only sold 20,000 copies and the group fizzled out over creative differences not long after.

I stumbled on “Masters of the Universe” almost ten years ago now thanks to Youtube’s algorithm. During that time, my friends and I were constantly digging for new hip hop, mostly old school, that we could show each other at our almost daily hang out sessions. It was a time period where I really tried to find things none of my friends had heard before and even back then, Youtube’s algorithm blessed me with a lot of stuff I still listen to today. It seems that the original upload of the full album I discovered all that time ago is no longer there, but I can attest that when I had found it, it had somewhere around 200,000 views- maybe. Over the subsequent years I watched those numbers build up into the million range – yet still, the numbers are comparatively low for how good it is. “Masters of the Universe” seems to really be a cult classic as it has grown over recent years and on Spotify they have about 157,000 monthly listeners with their popular songs totaling around 15 million plays. These numbers don’t appear to be so bad with a group that has been inactive since 2012 with Senim Silla retiring from the scene in 2014. One Be Lo, though, released Water World 3 in 2017 and continues to produce to this day.

Now, I want to get into the content and what I feel like are its best features. Binary Star, the dynamic duo, are relentless with their punchlines at times considering their frequency. I also like how simple, straightforward and unique a lot of them are. They use words incredibly well with how clear their meaning often comes through. It’s something you must listen to for yourself. I would say both punchlines and messages are balanced well, often even blended with the skilled touch of a pen. They talk about their time in the correctional facility here and there in the album but the pinnacle of this is in the song “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”. One Be Lo gives a vividly positive account about his experience in the facility and I believe paints an empowering image for potentially troubled individuals or those who might be in similar shoes. He talks about reading, finding himself and what he observed. In other songs like “Binary Shuffle”, they talk about shifting focus away from material goods and other common hip hop tropes in a manner which is energetic and dynamic. It seems that a lot of their grievances might even be more pertinent today. I also like how they talk about being independent in the industry and not selling out, focusing instead on the art itself. I would say their punchline dominant songs are “Reality Check” which sets a perfect tone for the opening of the album, followed by “Conquistadors” and then later by tracks like “Fellowship” which features Athletic Mic League and “Masters of the Universe”. The latter might be one of my most favorite tracks period. In my opinion, their flow and punchlines paired with that (should be classic) beat is just an example of synergy and the punchline “don’t you step to this, I send pharaoh messages / like Moses, taking my people on an exodus / we on the run…” just gets me every time. They also go back and forth, juggling the verses and flow in between them in a way I think would make Tribe proud. Lastly, the skits and recordings they found and then dispersed throughout album are pretty cool in my opinion. They add a unique element to the project with one of my personal favorites placed at the beginning of “Honest Expression”.

Curious why they called themselves Binary Star? Well, check out “Slang Blade (Intro)”. But, it’s better to wait and start it from the beginning. Check them out here (Youtube).