Kilo Ali

Bankhead bass

Andrell D. Rogers, who recorded first as Kilo and later as Kilo Ali, was born in Atlanta on May 1, 1973, and came up in the Bankhead neighborhood. While still in his teens he joined Atlanta's bass scene, a local variant of Miami's electro-driven bass music, emerging in the generation that also included Raheem the Dream a few years after MC Shy D.

Early records

His first releases came through Arvis between 1990 and 1992, among them the 1990 track “America Has a Problem (Cocaine),” which anchored his debut album “America Has a Problem.” He then recorded for Wrap/Ichiban, issuing “A-Town Rush” (1992), “Bluntly Speaking” (1993) and “Get This Party Started” (1995), records that mixed dance-floor bass with rap verses.

Organized Bass

Interscope released his sixth album, “Organized Bass,” on July 29, 1997, with Organized Noize as executive producers and guest spots from Big Boi, CeeLo Green, George Clinton and JT Money. Recorded at Synergy and Purple Dragon studios in Atlanta, it entered the Billboard 200 at No. 173, reached No. 44 on the Top R&B Albums chart and No. 9 on Heatseekers, while the singles “Show Me Love” and “Baby, Baby” reached No. 86 and No. 77 on the Hot R&B Songs chart. The album track “Love in Ya Mouth” became one of his best-known songs.

Later years

Kilo Ali was released from prison in 2011 after serving six years of a 15-year sentence for arson. In 2021 he filed a copyright suit against NLE Choppa over elements of “Love in Ya Mouth,” and in 2023 “America Has a Problem” found a new audience when Beyoncé sampled it for her single of the same name.