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LOWKEY

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Lowkey is a British musician, poet, playwright and political activist of English and Iraqi descent.  He first came to fame through a series of mixtapes he released before he was 18, before taking a hiatus from the music business. He would return in 2008 with wider music coverage, featured on BBC Radio and appearing at various festivals and concerts including the Electric Proms, Glastonbury, T In The Park and Oxegen in the build up to his first solo album, as well as collaborating with other famous British musicians to form a supergroup.

QUICK BIO TABLE
BIRTH NAME:
Kareem Dennis
BORN: London, UK
ORIGIN:  London, UK
OCCUPATIONS:
Emcee, Activist, Playwright
YEARS ACTIVE: 2003-present
LABELS: SO Empire Recordings
WEBSITE

MYSPACE
TWITTER

FACEBOOK

YOUTUBE
BIO  Lowkey was born in London to an Iraqi mother and an English father.  From the age of twelve he began to rap, initially imitating American rappers but soon using his own accent.  He began attending the open mic sessions which took place at the Deal Real record shop on Carnaby Street, Central London. The first time he went he introduced himself as Lowkey and was told there was already a regular there by that name; the two had a rap battle over the use of the name which he won.

Solo Work
The first part of his mixtape series Key To The Game, was released independently in 2003. Within a year and a half he had released a second and third volume, all of which gained critical acclaim from UK hip hop circles.  Though the first volume largely used music from other artists, the second was mostly original work in conjunction with numerous artists and producers while the third, which had no skits or short songs like a traditional mixtape would, was mostly his own work.  Despite releasing the third mixtape in 2005, it would be another three years until he released his album proper preferring instead to explore other aspects of his career until then.

While Lowkey was busying himself with European tours in support of Immortal Technique, Canibus, and Dead Prez, he began to make musical contacts and set about recording his debut album proper. Though stalled by other artistic endeavours, Dear Listener eventually was released in January of 2009.  He bookended the year with another release, Uncensored, a mixtape compiling new material and collaborations with highlights from the entire Key To The Game series and Dear Listener. This was released digitally in December through iTunes.

Collaborations
Lowkey joined a hip-hop group called Poisonous Poets that released one self-titled mixtape in 2005.  Poisonous Poets (sometimes known as Double P) was founded by Doc Brown whom Lowkey met at Real Deal records. The group also consists of Reveal, Stylah, Tony D and Therapist.

Lowkey's manager passed on the first two parts of Key To The Game to Jon McClure, frontman of Reverend and The Makers who is also an outspoken activist.  Wanting to mix popular music with politics, and mix indie rock with hip-hop, the two set about making a supergroup, Mongrel, composed of other noted musicians. Also in the band is Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and ex-bassist Andy Nicholson alongside bassist of Babyshambles Drew McConnell and a revolving set of other musicians. They have had trouble coordinating their busy careers to perform live dates and their debut album has already been pushed back from October to 2009 along with a February tour. The album, Better Than Heavy, was released for free with The Independent on March 7, 2009.

After touring with Immortal Technique, the two made a single, "Voices of the Voiceless" which was released in September 2009 after a one minute preview was officially released on YouTube. The song touches on racism, world revolution, war, colonialism and other global political issues.

In December 2009, Lowkey revealed he would release a second part to "Long Live Palestine" featuring international artists including Palestinian rap group DAM, Anglo-Palestinian soloist Shadia Mansour, The Narcicyst from Iraq, Iranian artists Hich Kas and Reveal, Syrian-Lebanese performer Eslam Jawaad and African-American Muslim Hasan Salaam. The single was packaged in an EP with the first part and an instrumental.  It went on to reach the Number 1 position in the Hip Hop Charts of both Amazon and iTunes.

Other Work
In July 2008 the Theatre Royal, Bath put on a production of 'Max and Beth', a contemporary adaptation of Macbeth by William Shakespeare written entirely in rhyme.  Lowkey also helped publicize the NSPCC's Don't Hide It campaign, also contributing a free song to it, in which his lyrics are delivered from the perspective of a female victim of sexual abuse. He also formed a non-profit organization, People's Army with fellow rapper Logic, who he has also made an unreleased album (New World Order) with, and met up with then-Liberal Democrats leader Menzies Campbell as a representative of his local community.  In February 2009, he traveled to Palestine and Palestinian refugee camps around the West Bank area to perform fundraising shows to help rebuild the Gaza Strip but was detained by the Israel Police for nine hours at Ben Gurion International Airport and interrogated.  Later in 2009, he travelled with M-1 of Dead Prez to carry out a humanitarian aid mission and bring medical aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza; this led to a collaboration between the two on Soundtrack to the Struggle. Lowkey was then detained and interrogated by the Israel Police a second time in July 2010 for 12 hours at Ben Gurion International Airport.

Collaborations
    * Poisonous Poets (2005) (with Poisonous Poets)
    * Better Than Heavy (2009) (with Mongrel)

Mixtapes
    * Key To The Game Vol 1 (2003)
    * Key To The Game Vol 2 (2004)
    * Key To The Game Vol 3 (2005)
    * Lowkey Uncensored (2009)

Singles
    * "Tears to Laughter" (2009)
    * "We Don't Want Them" (2009)
    * "Voices of the Voiceless" (2009) (with Immortal Technique)
    * "Alphabet Assassin" (2009) (with Faith SFX)

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowkey
DISCOGRAPHY

Dear Listener (2008)
Label:  SO Empire Recordings
Purchase

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Dear Listener is the debut album of Lowkey released on October 20, 2008 on SO Empire Recordings.  He delivers unique charisma acts as the saccharinely sweet delivery for the powerful, political messages that are delivered within many of the songs on the album.

Track List
   1. Dear Listener (Produced By Kelakovski)
   2. Watch That (Produced By Q-Tones)
   3. I Believe Feat Wordplay (Produced By Sivey)
   4. Rise And Fall (Produced By Dockmini)
   5. Revolution Feat SkinnyMan (Produced By Faith SFX)
   6. In My Lifetime Feat Wretch 32 (Produced By Quincy Tones)
   7. Home Is Where The Heart Is Pt 1 Feat Logic (Produced By KidEight0
   8. Alphabet Assassin (Produced By Nutty P)
   9. The Essence (Produced By Styalz Fuego)
  10. Home Is Where the Heart Is Pt 2 (Produced By KidEight)
  11. Cant Get Away (Produced By Nickel)
  12. Everything Must Change (Produced By Sivey)
  13. On This Ting Feat Logic (Produced By Nickel)
  14. Yours Truly (Produced By BeatGees)
  15. Alphabet Assassins Remix Feat Mongrel + UK All Stars*

*limited editions only

Soundtrack To The Struggle (2011)
**2011 HHUG Album Of The Year nominee**
Label: Mesopotamia Music
Purchase

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Soundtrack to the Struggle is the second studio album by Lowkey released on October 16, 2011 on Mesopotamia Music. Four singles have been released in preparation of the album from 2009 to 2010. It went into the iTunes Hip Hop chart at #1 and at #7 in the iTunes Album Chart. It entered at #2 in the Amazon.com MP3 bestsellers. The album was a 2011 HHUG Album of the Year nominee.

Track List
1. Soundtrack To The Struggle (prod Nutty P)
2. Too Much ft Shadia Mansour (prod Nutty P)
3. Voices Of The Voiceless ft Immortal Technique (prod Sivey)
4. Hand On Your Gun (prod ShowNProve)
5. Skit 1
6. Terrorist? (prod Red Skull) [official video]
7. Something Wonderful (prod Red Skull)
8. Dreamers ft Mai Khalil
9. Skit 2
10. Obama Nation (prod Red Skull) [official video]
11. Skit 3
12. Cradle Of Civilisation ft Mai Khalil (prod Quincey Tones)
[official video]
13. Skit 4
14. Blood, Sweat and Tears ft Klashnekoff (prodNutty P)
15. Everything I Am (prod ShowNProve)
16. Skit 5
17. Long Live Palestine (prod Nutty P) [official video]
18. We Will Rise ft Sanasino (prod Big G)
19. My Soul (prod Vendetta) [official video]
20. Skit 6
21. The Butterfly Effect (prod BeatNick & K-Salaam)
22. Obama Nation Part 2 ft M-1 (of Dead Prez), Black The Ripper (prod Nutty P)
23. Dear England ft Mai Khalil (prod BeatNick & K-Salaam)
24. Haunted ft Mai Khalil (prod JetSun)
25. Terrorist? Part 2 ft Crazy Haze & Mai Khalil (prod Last Resort)
26. Million Man March ft Mai Khalil (prod Big G)

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available Oct 16 2011

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