The duo’s new single, “Make Up My Mind,” is a bouncy club track with searing r&b vocals and a party feel. It was released to radio summer of 2008 and was the #2 added record on college radio its first week, second only to NAS.

They released their debut single, “Let It Roll,” in June 2007. The smooth, feel-good, summer cruising track is produced by hit-maker Fingazz of Streetlight Music (Lean Like a Cholo, Summer Nights) and the freshman single was dubbed “a sure-fire summer hit” by Wild 96.1 in Riverside, California.

Steelo has opened for Pitbull, Sean Kingston, Rich Boy, Lloyd Banks, Baby Bash, Mobb Deep, Digital Underground, and Lil Rob. They have also appeared on the Lowrider Car Show Tour and at a number of Washington State Universities.

In addition to music, Steelo also conducts a student empowerment program, an in-school workshop that encourages students to realize aspirations, strategize a path to success and measure the results. Steelo reflects on their experience in the music industry as an example of achieving both personal and professional goals. They have appeared at many Seattle-area high schools, at the CASHE Conference at Washington State University and at the MEChA Conference at Western Washington University.

The industry’s hottest songwriter/artist T-Pain earned the coveted Songwriter of the Year crown and shared the Producer of the Year trophy with crossover king Jonathan “J.R.” Rotem and hip-hop visionary Kanye West. Song of the Year honors went to Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable,” co-written by Ne-Yo, Amund Bjøerklund (TONO) and Espen Lind (TONO), while Universal Music Publishing Group secured the Publisher of the Year title.

Full List of 2008 BMI Award Winning Songs

The night’s festivities culminated with the presentation of the prestigious BMI Icon Award to legends The Jacksons, whose achievements were celebrated with a musical tribute. Throughout the ceremony, the audience also enjoyed live performances of many of the award-winning songs by music’s biggest stars including Rick Ross, T-Pain, Lil’ Wayne, Ray J, LLOYD, Mario, JoJo, Keri Hilson and Yung Berg.

T-Pain’s resounding claim to the Songwriter of the Year title is buoyed by his jaw-dropping seven contributions to BMI’s most-performed list: “Bartender,” “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’),” “Cyclone,” “Good Life,” “I’m a Flirt,” “Kiss Kiss,”“Low” and “Shawty.” The past year found T-Pain everywhere, as he collaborated with hip-hop’s elite including Yung Joc, Akon, Baby Bash, Kanye West, R. Kelly, T.I., Chris Brown, Flo Rida and Plies. Flo Rida’s “Flow” featuring T-Pain became an international smash, topping charts in a diverse slew of countries including Finland, Ireland and Australia.

Song of the Year “Irreplaceable” also topped charts all over the world, reigning at the no. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for ten consecutive weeks. Co-penned by Ne-Yo, along with songwriters Amund Bjøerklund and Espen Lind (both members of Norwegian performing right society TONO and represented in the U.S. by BMI), and published by EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc., Super Sayin’ Publishing and Universal Music-Z Songs, Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” was certified multi-platinum and became the United States’ best-selling single of 2007.

One of pop music’s most influential quintets, The Jacksons blazed a trail for r&b and pop music, creating a sound and musical image that is emulated to this day. Hailing from Gary, Indiana, and formed in 1966, the Jackson brothers—Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael and, joining in 1976, younger brother Randy—were a true American success story, transcending race and redefining the sound of pop and r&b music. They were the first group to have their first four singles hit no. 1, and they remain one of the most globally influential pop and r&b groups in history. The Jackson 5 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. In addition to being premier recording and performing artists, the Jacksons wrote multiple hits, including the ’80s “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground),” “2300 Jackson Street,” “Can You Feel It,” and “State of Shock.”

T-Pain, Jonathan “J.R.” Rotem and Kanye West shared the Producer of the Year win thanks to individually logging the most producer credits on charting songs over the past year. The BMI Top Urban Producers list also included DJ Montay, Mr. ColliPark, Polow Da Don, Rodney Jerkins, Soulja Boy Tell’em and will.i.am.

Universal Music Publishing Group earned the BMI Urban Publisher of the Year trophy by scoring the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. The publishing giant’s twenty hits on the most-performed list include “Throw Some D’s” recorded by Rich Boy featuring Polow Da Don; Song of the Year “Irreplaceable;” Flo Rida’s “Low” featuring T-Pain; “You” recorded by LLOYD featuring Lil’ Wayne and Ciara’s “Promise.”

In addition to the BMI performance awards, trade publication Billboard recognized the BMI-affiliated writers whose songs reached No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Hot 100 charts during the past year.

Propelled into stardom with one of 2007’s big breakout rap hits, Alabama native Maurice Richards had music industry titans including Andre 3000 and Kanye West putting in their two cents on his smash “Throw Some Ds.” Built on an infectious sample by the group Switch, the song peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs. (The song became so popular in the first part of 2007 that one of a few remixes ended up in advertisements for the hot HBO series Entourage.)

“Throw Some D’s” was just one of the rollicking tracks on Rich Boy’s self-titled debut, which the former mechanical engineering student at Tuskegee University released in March of 2007. That album, which features production from Polow Da Don (Fergie, Kelis, Ciara) and Brian Kidd, landed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop albums charts. Yet many credits on the album go to Rich Boy himself, validating the instincts of Polow, who discovered the rapper.

Rich Boy had been working the local underground circuit and finagling some of his songs to get on local radio station 93 WBLX when the group Jim Crow, of which Polow was a member, visited the station. After Rich Boy handed him a CD, his fate was sealed. Before long, he had signed with Polow’s Zone 4 Entertainment, now partnered with Interscope Records.

Alabama’s first hip-hop star, Rich Boy represents uncharted ground for the genre. Armed with an album that flooded charts and airwaves, his future is nothing if not fertile.