Binary Star

Binary Star was a Detroit hip-hop duo made up of Senim Silla and One Be Lo. They came together in the late 1990s, working with cosmic themes and a sound that felt a bit outside the usual rap lanes of that time.

In 2000 they put out their album "Waterworld," which got some attention for its thoughtful lyrics and production. A track like "Binary Shuffle" from that record gives a good sense of their style, dense wordplay over beats that weren't trying to fit a radio format.

After some disagreements with their label Rawkus Records, the duo went quiet for a while. They reconnected around 2010, but that earlier period in Detroit, making "Waterworld" and songs like "Conquistadors" and "Honest Expression," is what most listeners still talk about.