J-Rawls (from Columbus, OH) and J-Sands (From Pittsburgh, PA) formed Lone Catalysts in 1995/1996. Contrary to what some reports suggest they did not form whilst attending the University Of Cincinnati (even though they both attended the University at the same time). Ralws explains the meaning of "Lone Catalysts":
"At the time, we thought that there weren't many cats, at least in our area, trying to do it the way we were trying to do it. It's that raw hip-hop."
They have released 3 albums as a group (1 of those being a compilation of B-sides and rare singles) and have toured large portions of the world in the last 6-7 years (especially Japan and Europe, where they have a strong following). They have worked with many different artists such as Black Star (Mos Def & Talib Kweli), El Da Sensai, Mr. Complex, MOOD, Capital D (All Natural), J-Live, Asheru, BJ Digby, Wordworth, Masta Ace, 5 Deez and many others.
They are currently working on a new compilation album (Bringing It Home: Vol. 2) and continue to run the independant label B.U.K.A (Brothers United Keeping it Afficial) Entertainment (named in honour of a friend who is currently incarcerated and due for release in 2007).