BELO MUTHAFUKKIN ZERO

BELO OF DO OR DIE DEBUT SOLO ALBUM "THE TRUTH" HITS STORES OCT. 17TH ON THE LEGION RECORDS Standout member Belo of Do or Die is putting the finishing touches on his dynamic, debut album THE TRUTH, due to arrive in stores this October on The Legion Records' label. Belo has the streets anxiously awaiting his solo album. He is the first member from Do or Die to release a solo effort. "What makes Belo's project so provoking is that his style is very unique within the group and within the industry," says Rudy Acosta, owner of The Legion Records. "For him to be the first one of the group to come out with a solo album, it's exciting to see the direction he's taking. He's got that smooth, pimp feel, but he also takes it to the streets. It's a great combination." During Belo's career with Do or Die, he was typically given a verse per song to explain his thoughts and views. Now, the Chicago rhyme legend is taking advantage of the extra mic time a solo album provides. Belo's got a lot he wants to speak on---that's why he's named it The Truth. "I picked The Truth because a lot of the stuff I wanted to express I couldn't express when I was doing albums with Do or Die," Belo explains. "I wanted to touch on some topics that were real truthful, that were really real, as to why I call it The Truth. I had never gotten a chance to touch on my personal spirituality. A lot of people don't know that side of me because they hear me rapping laid-back and smooth. I have done a lot on the streets, but they don't know the street side and the stuff that I've gone through in life." Belo spits straight street on "Outlaws." The funky, synthesized beat from longtime Do Or Die producer The Legendary Traxster gives Belo the perfect opportunity to flex a harder, more aggressive flow and rap about more gritty subject matter than people are used to hearing from him with Do Or Die. "I come from the West Side of Chicago, and during the end of my era and the beginning of the era of the cats that come up under me, we would call ourselves outlaws," Belo explains. "That's because if you're not a real person and you're not in our circle, then we won't have any part of you. So, we're outlaws and we're on our own. That's how I felt coming up. It was always a struggle for me. I never got anything easy." Belo then addresses issues he has with religious misdirection, the terrorist attacks on America, the war in Iraq and the American government on the searing "God's Wrath." The song has a special significance for Belo, who feels that the United States government has not been forthright with its people. "It is sickening to me to how people camouflage the truth," he says. "These people know what's happening. They get signs and have the top intelligence in the world. For that to happen on 9/11 is just crazy to me, and Bush was just sitting there reading children's books. Four or five planes go off the map. C'mon, man. If one of them gets off track, people are trying to see what happened. It's a conspiracy. Something's going on, for that to happen and for them to not even go after the guy that they said was responsible for it. You say Bin Laden is responsible for it and you're messing with Saddam. He wasn't flying no planes to my knowledge or recollection." For all of its incendiary material, The Truth still gives fans the classic Do Or Die sound Belo helped define thanks to the entire album being produced by a variety of Chicago's finest producers. One such tune is "Exclusive," which features the soulful vocals of Johnny P, the sensuous production work of The Legendary Traxster and showcases Belo rapping about having an exclusive woman. "I knew what I wanted to do when I heard the beat," Belo reveals. "Me, Trax and P sat down and collaborated on the hook. It's your typical Do Or Die song, your typical Belo. By Johnny P being R&B and me being so laid-back and smooth, it's like peanut butter and jelly. It works. He flows so wickedly with so much soul and I've got that funkadelic, versatile flow." When Do Or Die broke through with "Po Pimp" 1996, Belo?s smooth, laid-back style, helped catapult the song and the group to the top of the music charts. Thanks to "Po Pimp," the group's first national album, 1996's Picture This, went platinum and established the elegant yet edgy gangster sound most normally known as the Chicago sound. Today, when Belo switches his flow up, it catches people off guard. "If I lay my voice back real smooth, you know it's Belo," he says. "But if I go gangster, it's hard for you to say, "Man, that's Belo." You're like, "Who is that?" That's because I really put out there like that, but I was born in the streets. I was born thorough. I've never painted myself like an Al Capone, but I won't be that far behind if someone tries to mess with me or my family." In addition to the debut album, Belo is working on a documentary on himself that will focus on the struggles he's endured, from gangbanging to getting shot. He's also launching his own Po House Records, but for now, his focus is on promoting The Truth and reaching his loyal fans. "I want people who are going to get out here and support the movement that I'm on," he says. "All the cats that support Belo that's in the hood, that are on those blocks, that's my family. When I use that, I don't say that word in vain. They're the only ones that can get close to me." And that's The Truth. Belo of Do Or Die "The Truth" IN STORES 10/17 Gangsta Boogie Presents "The Legion Records Mixtape 2" OUT NOW!