| Rack-Lo | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Billips Brooklyn |
| Occupation | Rapper and Author |
| Nationality | American |
George Billips, better known by his stage name Rack-Lo, is an American author and rapper from Brooklyn, and a founding member of the Lo Lifes.
Lo Lifes
In 1988, Rack-Lo co-founded the Lo Lifes, a Ralph Lauren Polo "racking" or "boosting" (shoplifting) crew that formed from the union of two smaller crews from Brownsville and Crown Heights neighborhoods in Brooklyn. His nickname combines "rack" with "lo", short for Polo. In an interview with Fader, Rack-Lo recalls the appeal of Polo:
"By seeing the clothing it inspired us to know that there was more to life than being in Brooklyn and being stuck here, living at this limited pace. It inspired us to pursue those things: to go yachting, to be on Fifth Avenue, to be a part of the rich and the elite, and to try and acquire the American Dream the way we know how to do it. And that was through fashion and boosting."
In 2016, powerHouse Books published Rack-Lo and Jackson Blount's book about the Lo-Lifes entitled Lo-Life: An American Classic. A book review in the F-Stop Magazine called it a "remarkable story of a small group of teenagers fighting to make a name for themselves", and one in the New York Journal of Books considered it "somewhat of a revelation as it is not a varnished and glorified telling of fashion but much more of a down and dirty gritty tale of the sociological, visual, and material value."
In a 2018 interview, Rack-Lo stated "Yes, I have been caught on many occasions. As a result I was locked up in juvenile detention and I was an inmate on the infamous ‘Riker’s Island’. But in my case I was still fortunate because I never spent time in prison — only in city jails for very short time periods. The longest I spent incarcerated was four months."
Discography
Rack-Lo has released several albums and songs, often in collaboration with or production by fellow Lo-Life Thirstin Howl the 3rd.
Albums:
- (2000) Thou Shalt Not Steal. Skillionaire.
- (2002) Aracknofoebia: The Art Of Webslinging, with Lo Wife. Skillionaire.
- (2002) Rack Lauren. Skillionaire.
- (2002) Prince Of Thieves, with Lo-Kid. Spit Factory.
- (2004) Golden Era Terror. Skillionaire, Spit Factory.
- (2006) Lo Down & Dirty, with Thirstin Howl III. Class A Records.
- (2006) Rack$ 2 Riche$, with Richie Balance. Skillionaire, Spit Factory.
- (2006) Polo Kings volume 1. Spit Factory.
- (2008) Golden Era Terror volume 2
- (2009) Famous Chain Snatcher / Criminals
- (2009) Rap or Robbery
- (2010) Polo Kings volume 2
- (2012) Polo Kings volume 3
- (2013) Polo Classics
- (2013) Tarantula
- (2014) Lo-Life Gentlemens Club
- (2021) Lo Life: An American Classic Soundtrack
- (2021) Rac Man
Singles and EPs:
- (2000) Spit In Ya Face. Skillionaire, Concrete Productions
- (2003) Rackamatics. Get A Life Entertainment.
- (2005) 5 Finger Discount, with T. Howl III. Class A Records.
- (2005) Gifted. Rap Star Records.
- (2008) Talking to the Dead
- (2009) Famous Chain Snatcher / Criminals
- (2014) Lo-Life Gentlemens Club
Some songs:
- (2000) Skillosopher
- (2001) Serial Skiller
- (2001) Underground Airplay Version 1.0
- (2002) Skilligan's Island
- (2007) Egoclapper
- (2009) Gode Ord Dør Sist
- (2010) FACT 122
- (2017) Skillmatic
- (2020) Polo Palace - Palace Polo
References
- ^ George "Rack-Lo" Billips (2002): Aracknofoebia: The Art of Webslinging. Digital music album, produced by Thirstin Howl III, distributed by Bandcamp.
- ^ George "Rack-Lo" Billips (2021): Lo Life - An American Classic Soundtrack. Digital music album. Claimed to be the "sound track" to Rack-Lo's book "Lo Life: An American Classic". Mixed by DJ Mathmatics (Australia), recorded at All Elements Studios. Available through Bandcamp.
- ^ Diaz, Angel (23 September 2015). "Lo End Theory: The Secret History of the Lo-Life Crew". Complex. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
- ^ Jackson Blount and George "Rack-Lo" Billips (2016): Lo-Life: An American Classic. PowerHouse Books, 232 pages. ISBN 9781576878125
- George "Rack-Lo" Billips (2024): Lo-Life: The Autobiography of Rack-Lo. PowerHouse Books, 320 pages. ISBN 9781648230455
- ^ Kemet High (2016): "The Real And Raucous Story Of The Lo Life Crew". Online article at The Fader website, posted on 2016-12-07. Accessed on 2021-03-04. Archived on 2024-07-27
- ^ Carey Benbow (2017): Book Review of Lo-Life: An American Classic by George “Rack-Lo” Billips and Jackson Blount. Posted in 2017-01 at the F-Stop Magazine site. Accessed on 2021-03-04.
- Max Berlinger (2016): "Brooklyn Gang Struts in Vintage Ralph Lauren". The New York Times online, Fashion section, dated 2016-07-12. Accessed on 2024-07-27.
- Sowmya Krishnamurthy (2023): Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion. Gallery Books, 304 pages. ISBN 978-1982176327.
- Sowmya Krishnamurthy (2023): "The Lo Lifes: The Hip-Hop Shoplifters Who Birthed Street Culture". Excerpt from Fashion Killa on the Lo Lifes. On the Vice magazine website, dated 2023-10-16. Accessed on 2024-07-27.
- Jeffrey Felner (2016-12-09): Book review of Lo Life: An American Classic. On the New York Journal of Books website. Accessed on 2021-03-04.
- Anonymous (2018): "An Interview with Rack Lo". Posted on the Oi Polloi blog site, 2018-06-22. Archived on 2024-07-27.
- ^ Rack-Lo discography at the Discogs website. Accessed on 2024-07-27.
- ^ "Rack-Lo" discography at the Bandcamp website. Accessed on 2024-07-27.
- Greg Watkins (2007-02-05): Review of album Lo Down & Dirty at the AllHipHop.com website. Accessed on 2021-03-04.