Washington, DC (Top40 Charts / DMV Entertainment) On July 18, 2011 under his professional name LaPret, D.C. Political figure Larry Pretlow released his new single "Only 1" under the independent South Capitol Recordings imprint in digital-only format worldwide.
Written-by ASCAP Songwriter LaPret and produced-by Epik the Dawn, the record puts LaPret on bended-knee pleading for his lady companion, who appears to be caught between LaPret and a no-good man, to accept him [LaPret] as her 'only one'.
Having been leaked two weeks early, in various versions via 'Washington City Paper' and sites such as 'SoundLeaked.com', iTunes, Amazon, and Rhapsody (combined) reports the single has garnered 5,112 digital download sales, thus far.
Although, the single is not dubbed the album's first record, "Only 1" and possibly another record "Heart Spin" is slated to be sent to U.S Radio this month, building anticipation for the rapper's upcoming 2012 debut recording album, "The Way You Make Me Feel" - which is not to be mistaken for a love album.
"I talk about politics, love, struggle, life... I'm hoping that the media responds well, I pray the critics be receptive of the album and the singles; and I look forward to building a fan-base for my music. We have a lot planned and we hope for the best. Everyday I'm writing and growing. This will surely be reflected in my music" said LaPret.
Recently an article, "Potential Ward 8 Candidate Releases New Song," written by Washington City Paper Loose Lips reporter Alan Suderman sparked a heated debate surrounding Pretlow's new music and his urged run for the Ward 8 Councilmember seat currently held by former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.
While Barry has previously disclosed that he is more than certain that Pretlow could never attain his seat as long as he [Barry] seeks reelection. Many believe there's no way a councilmember could manage a professional recording career and attend to the duties of an elected official.
But Pretlow, a sophomore college student, affirms that the Washington City Paper article gave a "misrepresentation of my intentions," adding that the use of the words "Potential" and "Candidate" upset many readers and voters.
Commenters on the article criticized Pretlow for announcing his 'candidacy for the Ward 8 Council seat' along with a photograph that shows Pretlow wearing a 'fitted cap', a 'V-neck shirt' and 'sun glasses,'" but Pretlow vents that the image is the cover for his new single not a plea for votes, and he yields to ever saying he would run for the Marion Barry held-seat.
"They got it all wrong; I was never announcing a candidacy for anything. My intentions were for them [Washington City Paper] to help me make it clear that there's a huge difference from Larry the political activist and LaPret the rapper," Pretlow stated.
When asked would he run for Barry's seat, he laughingly replied "Will I run to represent Ward 8, maybe. But it's not Barry's seat. I'm thinking more about a Grammy right now."
In 2010, Larry Pretlow made headlines when he took a bold position on the city's Youth Curfew Law, while serving as President of the National Youth Rights Association (NYRA-DC), an organization that strongly opposed the District's youth Curfew. But even then with a rocky draft, he managed to garner support from citizens and Police Chief Cathy Lanier.
He ran as a ballot-access Candidate for an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC) seat, his 60's something veteran opponent Mary Cuthbert used a racial epithet to describe him on a YouTube video which showed the two candidates exchanging words on a neighbor's front porch. In April, Pretlow (then, 21) appeared on the Special Election ballot as the youngest candidate for the Ward 8 Member, State Board of Education seat.
