The LONE CATALYSTS, consisting of emcee J Sands & producer J Rawls, have taken on the world. The group has been together since the mid-90′s and have formed a cohesiveness that shows in the music they create. The first release from the Lone Catalysts, The Beginning EP, was released in August of 1998. The Beginning EP contained a six-song menu starting off with the title track “The Beginning”. The EP also consisted of the “Paper Chase”, “Lone Catalysts”(short version), “Heirs”, “Thin as Paper” and “New recruits”. Distributed mainly in the Midwest, The Beginning EP was an excellent promotional tool and used to introduce the Cats to people.
The second project for the group was a J Rawls production gem on the “Mos Def & Kweli are Black Star.” Rawls contributed production on “Brown Skin Lady” and “Yo, Yeah” which placed him among the new hottest producers in the rap music genre. The “Mos Def & Kweli are Black Star” did very well in the independent hip hop market and was acclaimed as one of the best albums in 1998.
Very soon after the release of “Mos Def & Kweli are Black Star”, the Lone Catalysts strike again. This time on the Nervous records compilation “HIP HOP INDEPENDENTS DAY VOL. II”, with their self-titled song “LONE CATALYSTS”. This compilation was released in November 1998 and featured many of the new artists in the hip hop underground, and also gave the Lone Catalysts their first worldwide release.
Just when you thought the year was done, J Sands and J Rawls started B.U.K.A. Entertainment and released their first independent single, “Paper Chase” b/w “Heirs.” Even though they were newcomers to the independent record business, they sold over 3000 units in a two-month period through only word of mouth.
In the spring 1999 they took hip hop by storm with their second release from their label, B.U.K.A. Entertainment, entitled “Due Process” featuring Talib Kweli (from Black Star and Reflection Eternal) & Rubix b/w “Let it Soak” featuring Dante (from MOOD) and Holmskillit. The single brought accolades to the Cats by placing #1 on the major college record charts such as Gavin, CMJ, and Insomniac. The sought after 12-inch is considered a classic, selling well over 12,000 copies to date.
The group has dropped numerous 12 inches including “Politix” b/w “Two’s Company” and the critically acclaimed J Sands solo 12-inch “Won’t Stop” b/w “Wanna Battle”. The group also kept their momentum going with the Groove Attack backed 12 inch “Dynomite” b/w “So Clear” featuring J-Live. The group released “The Place to Be” b/w “3 Years go” in preparation for an album. They also kept their name on the scene with several collaborations including All Natural, ShowTime and 3582.
With increased demand for an album, the duo obliged in the spring of 2001 with their critically acclaimed album aptly titled “Hip Hop”. The album has been given excellent reviews and mentions in top magazines such as XXL, Source, Vibe, Murder Dog, and Urb and has sold over 12,000 copies in the first 7 months. Keeping busy, in the summer of 2001, the Cats also released a new 12 inch in conjunction with Rawkus Distribution entitled “On Course” b/w “Won’t Stop Remix” featuring J-Live and Grap Luva. The newest offering from the group is the lead single from the Supperrappin 2 compilation featuring the Lone Catalysts “Monumental” on the B-side of a Biz Markie 12-inch.
Subsequently, the group has also stayed busy with a solo album from J Rawls featuring acts from all over the country including Mass Influence, Wordsworth (of Punch & Words), and Five Deez. The Lone Catalysts also have done work on the new Unspoken Heard album, “Soon Come” and El Da Sensai album “Relax, Relate, Release”. Currently, the group is supporting the album, performing shows around the world. They are also readying new material from J. Sands, “The Breaks Vol. 1”. They released a compilation from their label B.U.K.A. Entertainment earlier in 2002, “Bringin’ It Home, Vol. 1” and “The Catalysts Files”; which features all the 12 inches the pair released that were never pressed on CD, as well as some new joints that were never released. Now, the duo is preparing for their sophomore LP, “Good Music” to drop sometime in 2003. It will be an expression of all good music, not just in the realms of Hip Hop. As quoted from J. Sands “We did ‘Hip Hop’ on our first album to show we can do that, now we want to focus on just doing some ‘Good Music’ which can be any genre.” Lone Catalysts are definitely cutting edge and the best part is this is only the start of things to come.
