LMNO

James Kelly, performing as LMNO, spent his early years in Long Beach, California, surrounded by surf and skate culture. Southern California’s active underground hip-hop community prompted him to start producing his own demo recordings. Those efforts led to a guest verse on “B.F. Sound Check” from Circle of Power’s self-titled 1993 album. A decisive break came in 1995 when associates Key-Kool and DJ Rhettmatic issued Kozmonautz, an album that introduced the Visionaries crew and placed LMNO alongside Ras Kass on “E=MC5,” markedly raising his profile. Accounts claim that during Eminem’s 1997 trip to California to record with Dr. Dre, the Detroit rapper inquired about LMNO’s work.

In 1998 the Visionaries—Key-Kool, Rhettmatic, 2Mex, LMNO, Lord Zen, and Dannu—delivered their first album, Galleries, followed in 2000 by Sophomore Jinx. LMNO then concentrated on solo work, releasing the singles “Hit the Fence,” “Radiant,” and “Grin & Bear It” on Battle Axe; the latter two tracks appeared on his 2001 debut Leave My Name Out, whose title spells out the acronym of his stage name. Though his rhymes often referenced Jesus and a meat-free diet, LMNO declined to brand himself a Christian or vegetarian rapper so he could reach wider audiences. The Visionaries returned with Pangaea in 2004, the same year LMNO issued Economic Food Chain Music, both projects appearing on Up Above. P’s & Q’s followed in 2005, and the Visionaries released We Are the Ones (We’ve Been Waiting For) in 2006. LMNO soon afterward unveiled the 32-track solo set Let’emknow.