Rye Rye

eclecticist2bmore — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:52:08 -0400

Rye Rye

Azealia Banks

eclecticist2bmore — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:46:00 -0400

Azealia Banks

Oddisee, the gem of the "DMV".

eclecticist2bmore — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 16:00:25 -0400

So I was listening to East Village Radio on my iPhone,(to be honest) the only reason I got the app was to listen to Elliott Wilson’s ‘Keep It Thoro’ radio show, but, out of curiosity I scrolled through the other radio stations and landed on ‘The Main Ingredient’ hosted by Jon Oliver. From the jump I heard Marvin Gaye’s voice serenading through my cheap ass apple headphones but the beat, the beat was unfamiliar nor was it the original that accompanied the original song. After a few verses and the chorus being repeated my ears was then greeted by rhymes that complemented the song’s subject perfectly. Now, I did not know who this was nor what the song was called but what I knew for sure that this was a rendition of ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ by Marvin Gaye with a hip-hop makeover. Clearly I continued to listen to ‘The Main Ingredient’ radio show because every song just became better and better which is why I fucking loooooveeeeeee satellite/independent radio shows. I quickly pulled up the safari browser and searched for the radio show which led me to Jon’s website and his set list for all his radio shows (by dates and episode numbers thank god) it was then I found out the mystery lyricist was named…..Oddisee. As the curious cat I am I researched him just to find out this from Wikipedia:

Oddisee, born Amir Mohamed el Khalifa, is a MC/producer currently recording for Mello Music Group, splitting his time between Brooklyn; Washington, DC; and London. He was born in Washington, DC, and raised in Prince George’s County,Maryland, and his love for this area is clear in his work.^[1] As a member of the Low Budget Crew, Diamond District, and as solo artist, he has released more than ten records with various labels. Oddisee was born in Washington, DC, and raised in Prince George’s County in Maryland by his African American mother and Sudanese father. According to a National Public Radio interview with Mohamed, Prince George’s County is one of the wealthiest African American counties in the nation but borders some of the DC area’s roughest parts.^[2] Mohamed moved to DC after high school, where he began to develop his musical sound, which has been called observational rather than angry, with a clear vision combined with soulful beats^[3] After finding musical success and inspiration as a part of the DMV scene, he moved to the Brooklyn area for the much larger industry. He now splits his time between New York, DC, and London.

Oddisee was influenced musically at a young age by both sides of his family. From his father’s Sudanese side, he was influenced by the accomplished singers, guitarists, and poets. His mother’s side showed himgospelandbluegrass.^[1]According to Mello Music Group, he was first exposed to hip hop music by his older cousins, and it was his father who gave him his first vinyl, which influenced him to start producing.^[1]Upon graduation from high school, he moved to DC. He was all set to attend the Art Institute of Philadelphia to study visual art but was drawn to the production of hip hop and jump-started his career in music during 2002 with his production of the song “Musik Lounge” onDJ Jazzy Jeff’sMagnificentalbum, while he worked at A Touch of Jazz studios. However, he really began his focus on hip hop in 1999 and has worked with many successful artists includingTalib Kweli,J-Live,Little Brother, and Apollo Brown^[1].

Soon after Oddisee’s release of “Musik Lounge,” he joined a group called theLow Budget Crew, which included several other DMV artists such asKenn Starr,Cy Young, andKev Brown. While working with this group, Oddisee signed with Halftooth Records and released the EPFoot in the Doorin 2006.

In 2008, Mohamed signed with Mello Music Group and released a series of projects over the years on which he either rhymed or produced, such as 101, Mental Liberation, Everything Changed Nothing, Odd Seasons and Traveling Man. He also created a DMV hip-hop group named Diamond District and has released several projects with them. His next studio album is set to be released on June 5, 2012, titled People Hear what they See on Mello Music Group ^[1] .

Oddisee was originally influenced by his parents’ heritages, combined with a hip-hop influence from his older cousins. In an interview with NPR, Mohamed explained why he was influenced by early East Coast emcees such as Rakim and A Tribe Called Quest. He said, “These rappers don’t talk about drugs or murder, and I can relate more to their lyrics.” His lyrics have touched on a variety of subjects, which include his home town, boredom, and inequality. This is clearest in his song “I’m from PG,” which is a direct ode to his hometown. Oddisee identifies with an assortment of emcees from the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland areas who share a similar sound. This area is known as the DMV. These emcees share similar determination to create original music using swinging percussion and identifiable rhythms.^[2]

His work has been used by ESPN during the NBA finals and in commercials, and in sound bites for Adult Swim, DC Shoes, and Quiksilver.^[1] Oddisee’s Odd Spring mixtape was also listed on the Washington Post’s Best Local Hip-Hop mixtapes of 2010.^[4]

Impressed? Yes. Unless you live in the metro area that consists of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia most likely you may not know the individual movements that are happening musically wise specifically in the hip-hop/rap realm; with (recognizable) artists such as Wale, Black Cobain, Fat Trel, Phil Ade and the new buzz-ee Shy Glizzy who are making their own mark. After listening to ‘Odd Renditions Vol. 001’, downloading his recent effort ‘People Hear What They See’ which released on June 5th and viewing some YouTube videos I felt happy that maybe I came across somewhat of a hidden but not so hidden gem. Whether he fits in with the names I previously mentioned I think because of the distinctiveness it will further set him apart from the sound and image that is associated with the “DMV”, but remember the guy is no rookie. Honest with a clean delivery paired with nice beat selections that comes together nicely, very crisp, very Odd-I-see.

Are you a bada$$?

eclecticist2bmore — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:52:18 -0400

Are you a bada$$?

What does 'La Rêveuse Beau / La Garce Intuitif ' mean?

eclecticist2bmore — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:45:00 -0400

…The Beautiful Dreamer / The Intuitive Bitch.