| content | ||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page. (August 2008) |
 |
This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling. You can assist by editing it now. A how-to guide is available. (August 2008) |
| Senim Silla | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ross Rowe |
| Origin | Aurora, Colorado |
| Genre(s) | Hip Hop Soul |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Label(s) | Infinite Rhythm Network Sleeper Cell Records |
Senim Silla (real name Ross Rowe) is a Hip Hop Soul artist from Pontiac, Michigan.1 He is well respected for being one half of the former rap duo Binary Star.2 345
Contents |
Biography
Early life
Senim Silla was born Ross Damion-Galen Rowe on the 20th of August 1977 to parents Robert and Diania Rowe. His father was in the Air Force and because of this the family moved around quite a bit. Constant moving meant constant readjusting for young Senim. Leaving friends and having to make new ones became a hard-learned skill; a thing the artist attributes to his ability to communicate with people from all walks of life. After moving across the country, the family eventually settled in Detroit, Michigan. Senim was 8yrs old.
Detroit would come to set the tone for the next decade of his life. He remembers: "Detroit was and is an ill place. It corrupted me in many ways. It brought so many firsts for me, you know? It was when I was first introduced to drugs, guns, all that. I saw cats get stabbed, shot, beat up, all that, you know? I was innocent before that. I mean, I had no concept of these things before hand. On the other hand, it's where I first started rapping". The family lived in Detroit for nearly 5 years before moving to Pontiac. The abrupt move was brought on by Senim's mother having her fill of the city, when her son got robbed coming from the corner store one day. An incident Senim cites on the song "Wild Life".
Pontiac is where Senim says he came of age. In his own words: "It's where I became Senim Silla". This is where Senim would build most of his significant relationships, hone his skill to flow, and make the decisions that would effect the rest of his life.
Pontiac
On the first day of high school he was introduced to Malaki The Most Hi. The two quickly became inseparable. Up until this time Senim was only rapping in secret. He credits Malaki as being the person who helped him build the confidence to share his rhymes with others. During lunch time at school is where Senim and others would gather and showcase their talents in freestyle sessions. Senim recalls: "We were the sh*t! Cats made names for themselves all over the yak [Pontiac] from those sessions. Motherf**kers across knew who we were and we probably never met them. That's how powerful the sh*t was".
It was during one of these sessions that Senim would meet Lo for the first time. He recounts: "We were a tight-knit group at that time and we were the only cats really flowing like that. So if you were rapping; we knew about it. Anyway, one day I come into the lunchroom and cats are already at it. Burning-knuckle Vernon was hitting a beat for this cat busting a rhyme off some paper. (Which we never did, so I knew he had to be new) So I post up [and] start listening to a cat. This dude was on some sh#t. I mean he's spitting and putting sound effects in his sh*t. It was crazy." The mystery rapper turns out to be One.Be.Lo.(Then known as Rahlo or Lo for short)
The Spoox era
In the summer of 1993, Malaki proposed to Senim that they should start a group called "The Spoox". Of course being that Senim greatly admired Malaki; he jumped at the opportunity. Later they would add a third member [C-Note], soon after followed by a fourth, that person being Lo. Whom Senim hadn't seen much of since that day in the lunchroom. Due to ego and immaturity, The Spoox would be short-lived. After the break-up of the crew, Senim and Lo became very tight. So much that you could hardly find one without the other.
Senim and Lo
At this time Senim and Lo were straddling the fence between rap and criminal activity. Senim: "It wasn't that we were trying to be thugs or nothing, we were just trying to get paid. Now granted, cats got bolder with each outing, but that came through progression. We didn't go from slanging trees to robbing cats all in one night, you know?" This progression he speaks of would come to a head the night the two decided to rob a local pizza shop. It would prove to be a major mistake when the two were arrested 2 weeks later at the home of Senim.
Incarceration and the formation of Binary Star
Senim and Lo were sentenced to 3 to 20yrs for armed robbery in May of 1994. Housed at different facilities, which is protocol in cases of co-defendants, Senim was sent up-state while Lo was sent to a facility in the lower part of Michigan. During his time Senim embraced Islam, and began to study a number of different subjects including psychology and philosophy. Still rapping as always, Senim quickly made a name for himself around the compound amongst the other inmates that rap. On one occasion, a new inmate commented that he had just came from another joint [correctional facility] where there was another inmate who had a rap style very similar to that of Senim. Upon giving a description of this person, he discovered that it is in fact Lo that he was speaking of. Was this coincidence?
Even more extraordinarily, a few months later, Lo would be sent to the same facility as Senim. The two quickly picked up right from where they left off. Rapping continuously, Lo one day had a revelation. He told Senim that the two of them should combine as a group. Senim agreed and the two began to brainstorm on names for the group. After several different ideas, Lo came up with Binary Star. His explanation behind it was that the two of them shine on their own as solo artists but revolve so close they're bound as a group.
Discography
Binary Star
- Waterworld - 1999
- Masters of the Universe - 2000
Solo
