Lone Catalysts

Hailing from Columbus, producer J. Rawls first drew notice in hip-hop circles through placements of his tracks “Yo, Yeah” and “Brown Skin Lady”—the latter eventually regarded as something of a headphone classic—on the successful Black Star collaboration between Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Many listeners remained unaware that Rawls had already been working since the mid-’90s in the duo Lone Catalysts alongside Pittsburgh rapper J. Sands, lingering on the scene’s periphery. The pair began generating their own attention in the decade’s final years, issuing several well-received 12" singles, appearing on compilations including Superappin’ and Hip Hop Independents Day, and releasing the six-song EP The Beginning before delivering their debut full-length, Hip Hop, in 2000 on their own fledgling independent label B.U.K.A. Entertainment. The Catalysts Files arrived in 2002, likewise on B.U.K.A.