"I'm the Ball Point Composer," Freddie Bruno says. "I'm a producer, an MC, and a breakdancer (when I was twenty pounds lighter). I keep it real, but I have
fun."
Having grown up both in Washington, DC and Dallas, TX, Bruno has been featured on collaborations with Mars Ill, Deepspace 5, E-Roc, and on upcoming albums
by ill harmonics and BK & Associates (a side project headed by ill harmonics' Blake Knight). He is about to leave on tour with KJ-52, ill harmonics, and Mars Ill,
just as his record is about to be dropped by Uprok Recordings.
"This is my outlet to show the world that I can hold it down on my own," Bruno proudly states about his first solo album, "The Ball Point Composer."
After eight years of recording and performing in the underground, and appearing on numerous compilation albums and collaborations, Freddie has put together a
lyrically tough and musically tight debut record with which to challenge the hip-hop heads.
"This album is all about me growing as an artist," Bruno explains. "I really stepped it up, got a little more intricate, a little more hype with it. One thing about
me people notice is how I'm always trying to reach the next level."
"The Ball Point Composer" also features the work of Sivion from the Phat Kats, Sev Static from the Tunnel Rats, Sintax the Terrific from Deepspace 5, and the
world famous underground head DJ Ghost.
Bruno first got acclaim for his work on the Internet with Playdough on "The Ink Blot Song," which was originally performed by he and Playdough in their band
Phonetic Composition.
The subject matter in Bruno's raps cover everything from economic desperation in "Not For Profit" to "hip-hop as a girl" in "Miss Bonita" (not to be confused with
A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebaum").
"If she were a flesh and blood girl, that's what she would be," Bruno says. "That's what she would be. The first verse is about me being a b-boy, the second about me being a rhymer, the third verse about me being a producer, and how she helps me with it. How much I love her, and all that."
"The Ball Point Composer" was recorded with ill harmonics' Playdough, at his home studio, and mixed by Playdough and Blake Knight. "I've known Blake for about seven years," Freddie says. "I feel like I got the best work from those guys. I think it's very important to say that if it weren't for my homies in ill harmonics,
I'd never be even half way as professional as I am." Jokingly, he adds, "If not for their brutal honesty and heartless criticism the eight year friendship
would be pointless!"
Bruno first appeared in the hip hop underground on compilations such as Urban Soldiers 1 and 2, and has contributed to work by Sonic Imperial, Phonetic
Composition ("PC Tools"), DJ Skillspinz ("Mixopolis"), Bpm ("Ambidextrous"), Rhymes Monument ("A Lie N Science"), and now with a remix of "Melodic
Parabolic" on BK & Associates' debut, as well as guesting on ill harmonics' "Take Two" album, he's ready to dominate the new hip-hop scene.
While he loves the work of De La Soul, Pete Rock, Prince Paul, and DJ High Tech, Freddie cites The Roots' intelligence and soulfulness as great examples to him.
"I like to do straight-ahead stuff," he says. "I'm a pretty deep individual. For lyrical inspiration it helps being around friends who are straight with me. That helps me a lot."