Following in the tradition of great hip-hop coming from the Gateway City, Ser Lesson and Urban One of 40 Til 5 are the latest rappers to represent St. Louis. Combining the best beats in the business with some of the most original lyrics in the genre, 40 Til 5 is ready to make their mark on the landscape of popular music.
40 Til 5 came together in March, 2002, when Lesson and Urban, both in different bands, agreed to work together on a hip-hop project. The duo was tired of the scenes they were involved in and wanted to produce an original, purely hip-hop sound. After a couple months of rehearsals, 40 Til 5 made their first appearances at the Hi Pointe and the now-closed Galaxy. While Ser Lesson and Urban One were the mainstays of the group, guest DJs lent a hand at various events. Also joining the band was Lessons former bandmate, No Sleep, who would become a regular in the coming months.
From December, 2002 to August, 2003, 40 Til 5 played every gig they could to raise the money necessary to record their first album. During this time, the group established a popular Ladies Night promotion at the Baha Rock Club in St. Charles. Ser Lesson made the big time when he won a local freestyle rap battle, resulting in his winning a trip to battle nationally in Los Angeles to promote the rap spoof Malibus Most Wanted. Lesson made it all the way to the finals, finishing second in an amazing performance on the red carpet at the premiere of the movie.
Finally, in August, 40 Til 5 released their first album, What Time Is It? with Ser Lesson and No Sleep providing original lyrics and Urban One showing off his production and beat-making skills. The album, recorded by Mesh STL, now known as Modern Day Zero, was released to a sell-out crowd at the Hi Pointe. What Time Is It? featured a surplus of tongue-in-cheek innuendo, hardcore jams, and heartfelt ballads displaying the off-the-hook talents of the three young St. Louisans.
40 Til 5 continued to receive intense local attention based on the popularity of What Time Is It? but there was a bump in the road in October, 2003: No Sleep (now known as Dug Holes) left the group to pursue other career options in Las Vegas. After losing an irreplaceable rapper and a good friend, Ser Lesson and Urban One found themselves scrambling in the months that followed to create new material and find new connections lost when No Sleep departed.
Lesson and Urban rebounded in April, 2004, when 40 Til 5 were invited to play the Ticket Master New Music Spotlight at the Pageant. It was this performance that convinced the Pagents management to give the group their own monthly event. Thus, the Loop Underground was born with 40 Til 5 being given complete booking control. The first show, taking place in August of 2004, was exclusively hip-hop, open to ages 21 and over, and was moderately successful. Later shows included different genres of music and were open to all ages. Every successive show saw crowds of no fewer than 500 people.
40 Til 5 received national attention in September when they were tabbed as the opening act for Grammy-winning artist, Jill Scott. A capacity crowd at the Pageant were witness to an inspired set that enabled Ser Lesson and Urban One to perform their herbally-inspired jams to a brand-new audience. The creativity and brash sounds that are the trademark of 40 Til 5s unique brand of rap definitely made its mark on the staid Pageant viewers there to hear Scotts brand of smooth R&B.
More than a year after their debut album was released, 40 Til 5 stepped to the plate with their sophomore effort, Its Time Again. Unlike What Time Is It? the new album featured more laid-back grooves and personal rhymes that more accurately reflected the attitudes of two older, wiser musicians.
While promoting "It's Time Again," 40 Til 5 made its biggest splash in the hip-hop world to date, opening for rap legend LL Cool J July 19th, 2006. Audience members expecting to see a couple local amateurs were sorely disappointed that Wednesday night at the Pageant as Lesson and Urban put on a show for the ages, providing a performance indicating they are ready for headliner status. Ser Lesson and Urban One, in the span of four years and two albums, have produced the brand of music many acts could only hope to achieve in a decade of work.
40 Til 5 continue to represent the St. Louis music scene by not only producing original and relevant music, but also by discovering and promoting new talent via the Loop Underground. Without a doubt, Ser Lesson and Urban One will be names known to many in the very near future.
Bio by Skipp 5 (he works for weed!)
