On March 3rd, 1976, Westwood, Cincinnati was blessed with the birth of a baby boy who would grow up to be at the forefront of the local hiphop scene, putting his city on the map. In his youth, Main-Flow was introduced to rap music and began making it his own. Creating beats through a collage of the music he heard, using a simple tape recorder, he began to recite his main influence, Rakim’s verses, and replace the lyrics with his own slang. With a little practice and inspiration from great musicians such as Bob Marley and Nina Simone, as well as rap legends such as Kool G Rap, Main-Flow developed his own style. A few years later, Flow linked with fellow Cincinnati natives, Donté and Hi-Tek to form the group Mood. They built their own studio, Wanna Battle Compound, and with musical, yet dark, production comparable to the Wu, conscious but complex lyricism and delivery that was ahead of its time, Mood took their product to labels and got signed to the largest independent, TVT. The following year, in 1996, Main-Flow contrived Wanna Battle Management, the company that would later go on to musically unite acts such as Reflection Eternal, Lone Catalysts and Holmskil. Main-Flow currently resides in San Diego with his loving wife and daughter, where he continues to collaborate with artists in and out of his hometown, dropping gems and keeping heads in anticipation of his debut, Castle Diplomat. The title is indicative of Flow’s position as head of Wanna Battle Enterprises, the parent company of Wanna Battle Compound and Management. Working 24/7, Main-Flow and crew keep Wanna Battle Enterprises’ strong infrastructure as self-sufficient as possible, holding down every aspect, from graphic design to promotion. Presently, Main-Flow’s material can be found floating around: UKNOWMYLIFE, a 10" collaboration with DJ Greyboy on Ubiquity records; a bangin' limited red-vinyl edition single, Bring It On/Show On The Road, on Red Carpet Records; and features on Hi-Teknology, DJ Hi-Tek's critically acclaimed solo album. Look out for special guest appearances on Black Thought’s solo debut as well as collaborations with Planet Asia and Mos Def, to name a few. Another Mood LP is in the works and slated for release sometime next year. The buzz is going strong, and majors are beginning to bite. It’s about time the masses picked up on Main-Flow who, true to his alias, continues to rip tracks flawlessly, with ultimate breath control, eloquence, and mellifluous terminology. Buy Now Castle Diplomat Mainflow $15.95 Hip Hop Worth Dying For - Mainflow & Talib Kweli