Bio
Solitaire - a single gem (as a diamond) set alone
Halo - the aura of glory, veneration, or sentiment surrounding an idealized
person or thing
...his name says it all.
A native of Tha DYT (Dayton, Ohio) and relatively new to the hip hop scene,
Solitaire Tha HALO is not to be taken lightly, as just another rapper. Like
many young men, rap was always apart of his life (against his mother's
wishes), in addition to music period. It wasn't until the age of 12 that he
began penning his lyrics, a majority of the inspiration coming from the
constant rapping that he, his older brothers and neighborhood boys would
partake in while chillin' on porches and steps. For a while, he wrote
verses about everything, but he never took his playful, young rhymes
seriously. The farthest they made it were into the microphone of his
brother's TalkBoy and onto tapes. He wasn't completely off the music scene
though. Although he wasn't writing, he was developing his self-taught piano
playing skills, inspired by his role on keyboard in his middle school's
band performance of "Back That Thang Up" at a pep rally. He now heard music
with a new ear, listening to every single detail he could find in a song.
When not creating his own songs on the piano, he was playing any song he
could by ear, sometimes adding his own style to it. These activities would
have a great influence on his desire to not only rap but produce his own
beats also.
After a hiatus from writing, it wasn't until his sophomore year of college
that he resumed, now with a more mature perspective on rhyming. But after a
year, he was still dissatisfied. He knew he was talented and had the
ability to rhyme, but the majority of his songs he found either mundane or
mediocre. Refusing to settle for anything but the best, he tossed these
songs to the side and started fresh.
With this new determination and motivation, that was also driven by so many
rappers lacking talent in recent times, he penned his new songs. He was
featured in his first studio recording (under the alias Da 1 N Only) on the
debut mixtape of an old neighborhood friend. As quickly as he had recorded
the song, however, a new dissatisfaction arose. He knew he was...
- JUST ANOTHER RAPPER -
Once again, although displaying rhyming talent, he refused to settle for
average, knowing that he was only at the tip of his lyrical talent iceberg.
He took his music to the next level, but even then he knew that he could
get better. He did perform one song at a talent show but was not ready for
the experience. The victim of a cold and stage fright, the performance
wasn't well received. Fortunately, this only motivated him more. The desire
to record more of his music grew and led to the purchase of his first
bundle of home studio equipment -- a cheap mic and music editting program
for his laptop. Shortly after, fellow rappers heard the few songs he
recorded and were impressed at the quality of lyrics and style of flow that
he possessed, which seemed to have sprouted out of nowhere. Versatile
delivery, punchlines, metaphors, wordplay among other things were present
in his rhyming. He chose to record and release his debut mixtape during his
senior year (early winter of '08) at Miami University (OH), "1st and 4Most:
Tha Mixtape" (under the alias Solitaire Tha HALO and his newest mc voice)
before deciding to focus on increasing his writing skills and rhymebook.
The mixtape received positive reviews and feedback, but he knew that the
mixtape hadn't come close to showcasing his best work. The mixtape did gain
him exposure as a rapper and led to freestyle performances (which further
helped him conquer stage fright) with hip hop artist Rideout at a local
club. Soon enough, though, he noticed that he was reaching a whole new
level of rhyming. Reality was setting in, the reality that...
- HE WAS NO LONGER A RAPPER, BUT A TALENTED ARTIST, A HIP HOP POET -
Now that his music had reached a satisfactory level across the board, he
upgraded his home studio equipment; mainly with the purchase of a
professional studio microphone. Sticking to his decision to keep his focus
on writing rather than recording (also due to focusing on graduating
college and days being only 24 hours instead of 30), only a few songs have
been recorded on the professional microphone, most of the time with
Solitaire only acting as producer for other people's songs. He was featured
on a song of his brother's (P. Vinyl) yet to be released on P. Vinyl's next
mixtape. While not recording for immediate release, the few songs that HALO
(aka Solitaire) did record helped him tweak his mc voice.
BUT THE TIME HAS COME
Now, with a vast collection of songs, and a lyrical flow as deadly as 10
pythons around ya neck, Solitaire is ready to make his voice heard once
again. With custom beats, collabos, amazing rhymes, a diverse playlist, and
his professional mic for quality recording, his next mixtape is sure to be
impressive. His future plans also include purchasing a keyboard and
increasing his production talent, re-recording and re-releasing "1st and
4Most: Tha Mixtape", developing his freestyling/battling skills, making
guest appearances on other's mixtapes, further tweaking of hismc voice, and
hopefully more live performances. And certainly writing, writing and even
more and better writing. Don't be suprised if a third mixtape doesn't hit
the street shortly after the release of the second. And don't rule out a
double disc mixtape.
