Oddisee has been someone I have kept an ear on, since first hearing Musik Lounge (a track he produced on The Magnificant LP, by DJ Jazzy Jeff). Since its release in 2002, Oddisee has made great strides in his talented skill set, rapping and producing with some of hip-hop’s more respected artists such as J-Live, Bumpy Knuckles/Freddie Foxxx, Little Brother, and Lil’ Fame of M.O.P. to name a few. He also takes pride in working with people that are less established, as his love for music is not only based on mainstream hearing, and since starting his Oddisee Music movement, he intends to bring hip-hop to the masses how he sees fit.

A member of Low Budget, he has taken his sound worldwide, working and performing all over the globe. A notable piece of his work that I’m interested in, is his impending LP with London’s Tranqill. I got to spend an afternoon with Oddisee in Hackney’s Clissold Park. There we engaged in conversation varying from our faith and cultural upbringings, to how much food we like to consume! Here is what he had to say in regards to his music, and his visits to our city:

We know an Odyssey to be an extended, adventurous and eventful journey. Is the same definition applicable to your name or is there a different meaning behind it?
Well, the meanin’ of my name very much still holds true to the Odyssey in The Iliad. I read it when I was younger, and I liked the adventure and journey he went on; I want my music to do that for people, you know? Like, I want them to listen to my music, and it take them some place else; for them to see where I’ve gone, through my music, yah’ mean! I feel it very much holds true: the fact that we are sittin’ here in London, and I’m from [Washington] D.C., means its workin’. It means I’m still holdin’ true to my name, yah’ mean!

Describe when them moment you decided to get physically involved with music was, and what your first experiences with rhyming and production were like?
Well, what got me involved in music was a curiosity turnin’ into a love, and that love turnin’ into a hobby; that hobby turnin’ into an obsession, and that obsession turnin’ into a career. I started off really rhymin’ on the lunchtime table in school, and all the cats were sayin’ “Oh, you nice wid it.” My man Sean Born said I should rhythm over his beats. I started battle rappin’ in school; Sean got me over to the crib and started recordin’ me. Through that, I got curious about hip-hop production, and he taught me how to make beats, and that’s when it really started. From there, started sellin’ tracks to local MC’s, performin’ in talent shows back home and open mics; fast-forward to it bein’ my career now, yah’ mean.

How would you say you have evolved since then?
My evolution has been practically a textbook one from what I’ve seen of MC’s and of hip-hop artists, meanin’ that love and that hobby becomin’ a career. Then, you’re slammed into a wall of business, where you have to learn real quick to be savvy about your business, or you’ll be destroyed. Not only can it destroy your career, but it can also possibly destroy your love for what you do in the first place, so you grow a thick skin and a business mind real fast if you wana survive. If it really is your love and your obsession, and you wana do this for the rest of your life, you learn your business real fast, in order for yourself to continue. I’d say I went from makin’ music for the love, to lovin’ to make music to make a livin’. I always say it: I make music for a livin’, so I can live to make music. That’s the evolution right then and there: knowin’ how to make money from what I used to do, just for the love of it. It does put you in a tough situation for cats who are further down the totem pole than you are, or are walkin’ that path that you had already walked over. They can’t understand why you wana be paid to do this or why you won’t rap wid them after a show; why you won’t wana come to their studio at 3 a.m. after you just finished performin’, and you gotta be in another city the next day. They can’t even comprehend it!

Which do you prefer more and why: rapping or producing?
That’s a tough question. They’re both a part of me, and they both give me the same feelin’. It all comes from the same place. When I write a dope rhyme, it really makes me wana make a beat and vice versa. I swear it’s the same relationship. I can’t even pick one or the other! Monetarily, beats make more money. It’s far easier for me to have 10 beats on 10 different artists’ albums, with them payin’ me each, than it is for me to just be an MC, tryin’ to get people to pay me to collaborate on their albums, or find show to do. You have to put more work in when bein’ an MC. You have to have a product out, so that you can tour and promote it, and get collaborations. I don’t have to do any of those things when stickin’ to producin’. I just have to have hot beats, and the connections to send them out.

How much does your Sudanese heritage influence your music?
My Sudanese heritage influences the business side of my music, more so than it does the artistic and creative side. I’d say my Black-American side is more the creativity, simply because I was raised in the States, in a predominantly Black city; so culturally, my music is affected by my Black-American side. My business side is very much owed to my Sudanese background; not necessarily because of it bein’ Sudanese but simply because of it bein’ my immigrant side that came to the West, to exploit the West and come up in the world. I had a really good example of hard-workin’ individuals around me, who came really from nothin’, to create somethin’ for themselves. I have that mentality instilled in me: to go out, get it, and sacrifice. You know, it was nothin’ for cousin’s from Sudan to come over, who had nothin’, sleep in our house on our couch, get a busted up car, do pizza delivery or be a taxi cab, work in a parkin’ lot, whatever they had to do. Next thing you know, they put themselves through school, they save their money, move out to a one-bedroom apartment with six other Sudanese guys. Within five to six years, they’re home owners. It’s that very same reason why I can tour, and I’ll say “I don’t need the hotel. How much is it a night? Cool. Give me that extra money in my payment and I’ll sleep on your floor.” To this day, I’ve been tourin’ Europe for four or five years, and I’ll take someone’s floor over a hotel room, any day. That instinct directly comes from being the offspring of immigrants.

What influenced the ‘Odd Season’ instrumental series (Odd Autumn, Winter, and Summer)?
The ‘Odd Seasons’ came about, as a way to display versatility. I pride myself in sayin’ I’m a versatile producer. If I left it up to MC’s, you wouldn’t hear half of the beats I can produce and create, because they come to me for a select sound. They come to me for their sound, or they come to me for a sound they heard on another MC’s album, and they want me to replicate that; they want me to reproduce what they loved about somethin’ I made for someone else. So, if I didn’t come up with projects to show my versatility, my career would be a real short one. That’s how your sound becomes redundant. Then your fans will start sayin’ “Aaahhh, your beats sound the same!”, when in fact it’s just that all the beats that artists are pickin’ from you sound the same.

I love themed projects. I wanted to do a project that people could relate to and connect to, beyond just listenin’ to it. I wanted it to be theme music; a soundtrack, and what better thing than the weather! Come up with somethin’ that gives me some room to breathe, come with my own sounds. Be creative, without consequence of it being a failure or success. I have read some reviews, and it seems to be workin’. There’s somethin’ for everyone on there. I can tell that hip-hop purists, who’s musical palette isn’t as developed as mine will say “What was he thinkin’ of doin! That shit sounds like some Maroon 5 nonsense!” Then I’ll get a female fan, and I’m like “Wow, a female fan!” She’ll be like “Oh my God! I love that track that you did, its dope.” So in essence, it’s somethin’ for everybody. The great thing is, I don’t have to compromise myself ‘cause it’s all true to what I like to create.

Travelling Man is a great listen. Your musical thoughts of different cities you have visited. What were the influences on your London and Brixton songs?
Well, when I made London, the influence was the generic visits that I’ve had to London. When I labelled the next one Brixton, it was because I had a chance to visit different parts of London and see their differences: different cultures and influences, and different boroughs and neighbourhoods, so that’s basically what it was. Brixton almost seems like its own world to me, you know? Like, it seems like a different place form the rest of London, and it made sense to me when I visited there, and kicked it around there. It felt like its own city.

We are fully aware that you have your own movement, called Oddisee Music. Are you still part of the Low Budget crew, and will Low Budget be releasing any collective LP’s in the near future?
I’m definitely still apart of Low Budget; One of the original members. That’s never gona change. Will there be releases as collectives? Yes and No. You’ll never hear a Low Budget album; it’s never gona happen. I say that, hopin’ that I’m proven wrong. I say that, so that I piss my fellow Low Budget members off, when they hear about interviews like this and they wana prove me wrong. As the story bein’ told so far? Naw! Cats be all over the place, doin’ their own things, busy workin’ on their own projects, and I just don’t ever see us comin’ together, bein’ able to focus on one project and create it. Where at different points in our personal lives as well, and some of us have more time to make music than others, etc. We live further and further outside the city, and it’s difficult to hook up with our schedules. I mean, I haven’t been in D.C. for three months, yah’ mean! Will there be one? I don’t know. I wish there would be one; that’ll be nice, but until there is one, until we come together and really actively do it, I gotta do me and push what I’m about to survive.

Outside of Oddisee Music and Low Budget, who have been your favourite artists to work with?
It was dope workin’ with Lil’ Fame [of M.O.P.], on A Rosenberg Oddisee. He just came through, and was meant to a verse but we ran out of time, so he did the chorus. Hilarious dude! Sat there and watched YouTube video’s with him, seeing how M.O.P. put together their adlibs. It was for a track he did with Saigon [WW4], and Saigon be like “Yo, I think you need to put an ‘ooooohhhhh’ right there.” Fame’s like “Right there?” Saigon: Na, na, na, na, not this part…….for this part.” “Ooooohhhhh” goes Fame! I’m like “This is ccrraaazzzy”. That was definitely an experience, yah’ mean; really enjoyed that.

What stories can you share with us, about the people you have worked with?
I was tourin’ with J-Live and The Living Legends. We had just finished workin’ on some records with J, and I think he was dietin’ or somethin’. I just went to Subway, and he was like”Yo, I ain’t never been to Subway.” Stunned, I asked “you’ve never…been to Subway?” “Nah, nah nah, I ain’t ever been there” he said. You have to understand, J-Live is like a Jedi when it comes to food. So, we head over to Subway, where he had a sandwich, and the look on his face was real straight. He’s like “…this is good…I, I think I can have this…”

When I say he is a Jedi, he’ll tell you somethin’s good, and you should try it, and you WILL eat it. So it’ll be 3 or 4 o’clock in the mornin’, you really don’t wana eat somethin’ heavy, but we’ll be at some random diner out in the middle of nowhere. He’ll wave his hand and say “try this Stake and Eggs, its good”. Next thing you know its four in the mornin’ and you eating Stake and Eggs! Love hanging out with J-Live; that’s the homie.

So many crazy stories though. Most of mine happen from tourin’. To sum ‘em up:

Bein’ chased by Nazi soccer hooligans in Eastern Germany; crazy story.

Being cussed at by a Scandinavian gipsy; crazy story.

A promoter gettin’ so drunk, that he wouldn’t take us back to our hotel or pay us, until we went to a club with him where invited us to come eat some vagina; crazy story.

Sleepin’ in a funeral parlour, because I opted to stay at private accommodation over a hotel, but I didn’t know the private accommodation was a funeral parlour; wild story.

They go on and on, and a lot of my artist friends are there with me a lot of the time; Kev Brown, and cats like that.

What are some of your favourite tunes you have produced/been a part of?
One that stands out right now? Road Trip. It’s a track that I produced for Critically Acclaimed featuring Phonte of Little Brother. I like that track cause it came about, based on what we did: Little Brother invited us to come down to North Carolina, to just hang out and record with them. This may be just before The Listening came out, or just after, I can’t remember. All of Low Budget took a road trip to North Carolina. We chilled in the studio and I was playin’ some beats, and Phonte was like “What’s that? We need to do somethin’ to that.” Phonte did the track with Quartermaine and C.A.L.I.B.E.R., two MC’s from Critically Acclaimed, and the song was called Road Trip. It’s a beautiful record. The vinyl is a hand-drawn photo of Critically Acclaimed in a car, drivin’ down. Definitely one of favourite songs and collaborations I was apart of, cause just lookin’ at it and listenin’ to it brings back real memories.

Who would you personally like to work with?
Alive? I would really like to work with Van Hunt. Yeah. I think he’s one of the greatest writers of all time, and his musical genius of producin’, singin’ and song writin’……he’s a force to be reckoned with. I would LOVE to do some work with him man, for real! I listen to him all the time. Was listenin’ to him this mornin’!

Every producer has a method to working with other artists. Some send beat CD’s, others like to work in the studio with the artists. What’s your preferred method?
I guess I don’t have a method. I use all of them! Whatever is convenient, and whatever can be done. It’s happened here, and in numerous cities. For example, when I’m home in D.C. I make beats nearly everyday. I take one day off every week. I make beats, and then I send those beats out to people in New York, L.A. etc, directly to artists. I sell tracks, and send them through the internet, and you take care of business; so that’s one way of doing it.

Other ways? Let’s say I’m in London, and someone will call me and me like “Yo, you here right now? You should come past the studio”, and I’ll come past. For my own music and for the artists I’m workin’ with for Oddisee Music, I’m in the studio with them when we create, solely so I can understand where they come from, when we create. I actually like to go to their home town, so that I can understand where they come from and experience life from their eyes, so I know how to make music for ‘em. That’s ‘cause it’s so much bigger for me, it bein’ my Oddisee Music thing, I afford myself that luxury by sellin’ tracks through the internet. Really, I’m a fan of all processes. I’ve done sessions through Skype before with two video camera’s, and pluggin’ our speakers in so we’re listenin’ to the same track at the same time, lookin’ at each other as we give opinions, goin’ back and forth straight through the internet! There is a feature that allows you to see eat other’s screens, so I can load up my Pro Tools screen, and they can see my mouse. They be like “No, take this part out?” “No, no, no, that part.” It’s allowed me to do my job and create anywhere in the world, as long as I have a Wi-Fi connection or internet.

What have you enjoyed about London on your visits here?
The reason why I love spending so much time here? The quality of life here is better than where I’m from, as far as what I’m into. I love the fact that pretty much one of the only cities in the States that can compare is New York. I can walk out on the road, and can get fresh fruit at 4 o’clock in the mornin’ from a Turkish grocery store, right around the corner. You can just do that! You don’t have to eat McDonalds!

There’s a million-and-one exhibitions and galleries, that just pop-up and open. All kinds of amazin’ film and independent film, and just general things for the arts that I’m a really big fan of. Being from D.C., we have a Smithsonian Institution, so all of our museums are free and we are lucky enough to get a decent amount of exhibitions come through each year; it’s like that times ten here. I grew up with my mother takin’ me to free museums, and gettin’ me open to art and culture. To come from that background, it’s like a paradox, you know? My quality of life in London is way better: I eat better, I’m less stressed out here, I’m more creative ‘cause I can focus on bein’ creative, without a lot of the hassle. The weather, even though it’s raining all the time, is mild, which for me is less stressful. In D.C., the summers are cold as shit and the winters are hell-fire hot! You get a break in Spring and Fall. The humidity is just crazy! I’m just overall, more chilled out here.

You have hooked up with the UK rapper Tranqill to produce a few tunes. How did you become acquainted, and will there be an extension of the work you have with him already?
Me and Tranqill linked about four years ago, when he realised I didn’t have a show in London. He was like “You should still come through.” I was like “Are you serious”, “Yeah, you should still come through” he said. “Aiight cool!” I was in Paris when I got that email, so I just caught the train straight here. He met me at the train station. Me with my bags in hand, we hop on a train, and he’s like “No, you don’t have to worry about paying.” I thought he meant he was payin’ for me………we just wasn’t payin’! Next thing you know, some ticket inspectors come, and he’s like “Yo, yo, we gotta move, we gotta move.” Hop off the train, and we wait for another train. This dude had me hoppin’ trains the first day I got here! Took me to the hood, took me to a Chicken shop, and again he was like “Ya hungry?” Here I am, thinkin’ I’m bout to get a good meal; takes me to get some Chicken and Chips and a fuckin’ Mango Rubicon! That was my first experience of London.

Again, he was like “You need to check your email or anything?” I’m thinkin’ he’s gona give me the code to his Wi-Fi. “Yo, there’s a Somalian shop right there, a little cafe. Go In there and he’ll take care of you. 50p. Cool.” Thanks! Really, I’m so blessed for those experiences, ‘cause I got to see a real side of London that tourists don’t see, and I love that. He became a friend first. Didn’t even push to let me know he did music. Maybe a year and a half to two years later, he started letting me hear his beats and rhymes, I was like “Yoooo! How you didn’t tell me!” He’s like “Yo, I didn’t want you to think this is what it was about.” I told him to get out of here with that! Then, we started workin’, and have been workin’ on music since then. His album will be done soon, produced by he and I. It’s him rhymin’. I’m producin’, but may be on one song. I’m mainly producin’ it, and executive producin’ it. Real excited for that project.

Are there any other UK artists you are keen on, and would you like to work with more UK artists?
Yeah! I’ve always loved Hudson Mohawke and Mike Slott; Electronic producers, but they get down with everythin’. Big fans of them. I actually like Professor Green’s flow; I mess wid him. Tinashe, who is an acoustic singer; he’s dope; I’ll love to work with him. It’s long overdue ‘cause we were at the Red Bull Music Academy, but I’ll like to work more with Andreya Triana aswell. We did a song, but would love to do more work with her.

Other UK artists can send their stuff through. Send it all through. I’m down to listen. I mean, I’ll get back to ‘em in time that you think will be respectful, but I will listen.

Have you been to any of the Hip-Hop nights in London? If so, how did you find them?
Yeah, I go out to a lot of events here. That’s one thing I love about London that’s different from D.C.: there’s numerous nights at numerous venues. In D.C. it’s like one night maybe, at the same venue; small town shit. I love ‘em, as there’s something for everybody. You got PAUSE, which was dope for the crowd that just wanted to do something but chill on Sunday’s, having a good time without it potentially becomin’ pretentious. Doctor’s Orders, if you wana hear your real hip-hop, and just cater to the heads. I’ve been to Livin’ Proof, Deviation, you name ‘em, I’ve been to ‘em.

London’s a scene town. Lots of people love to subscribe to scenes, more so than lovin’ their music. I can’t front. As an outsider, I see it. I stay away from that. I just go, ‘cause I like the music. If I don’t like the music, your not gona see me there. I don’t care what you got on, you know? Your Stussy this, or your Carhartt jacket. I don’t care. Don’t give a fuck about that! You’re funny looking haircut, none of that shit, ya know what I’m sayin’? I just like that real shit, which comes in many shapes and forms, and different colours. It comes to you in different ways, and if its there and I like it, I subscribe to that.

How would you describe the current state of hip-pop, and where would you place yourself in it?
I think the current state of hip-hop, and it has been, is on an up-and-up for quality artists, and on a down-and-down, for sub-par artists. Artists who put marketin’ over music are gona suffer. Artists who maintain their integrity, and put music over marketin’ will prosper, if they keep their business sense up. I think it’s a great time to be an independent artist, as record labels are fallin’ left and right, tryin’ to find a new formula to sell records. I think independent artists have long since found a way to do it. That’s where people like myself come into the picture: self managed, I book my own tours, I executive produce my own records, I mix them, make my own beats. You name it involvin’ music, I do it. That ensures that you can make a good livin’ from being an artist, with the majority of people not even knowin’ who you are!

I’ve definitely seen an increase in hip-hop listeners back in the States, which I’m really excited about. This is the first year in four years, that I’ve had more U.S. shows than European shows. When I go back home, it’s about to be crazy. You see the change of Europe goin’ back to more electronic music, and the States goin’ into not just hip-hop, but quality hip-hop.

I think it’s an exciting’ time to be a hip-hop artist, and independent artist, and entrepreneur. It may not seem it, but we’ve got some quality artists comin’ out that are makin’ people excited about rap again.

Who are some of your favourite artists to listen to, and why?
Of course Van Hunt: I love how he tells the same stories but different, which is always my method when I’m tryin’ to create music. He’ll give you a song about love, but its gona be abstract. It’s not gona be the typical ‘I love you, you love me’. I love that he challenges the way of song writin’ like that. I take a lot from him for hip-hop. Of course I can’t sing, but I attack subject matter that all men are familiar with and can relate to, but in a way it hasn’t been given to ‘em yet.

I feel fucked up for sayin’ this, but I listen to a lot of what I’m behind, because it’s the music that I wana hear. Not necessarily my rhymes, but I’m listenin’ to Stik Figa, Trek Life, Tranqill, and Diamond District, because that’s the kind of music I wana hear! I’m a bit over a lot of the legendary cats. I listen to their music too, but I don’t only listen to that. A lot of the new stuff comin’ from the legendary cats is dated to me, and is not challengin’, not progressive enough. I’m not gona listen to it, just for the sake of that they were in the past.

I’m not really up on a lot of the blog-famous rappers, who in their fifteen minutes of fame, somehow manage to release 30 albums. I don’t know how they do it, but I’m not interested.

I’m a big Black Milk fan; love his stuff. I like Finale, Blu. There’s a few in hip-hop that I listen to, but if you look at my iPod right now, it’s all over the place. The last two albums I bought off iTunes were Declaration of Dependence by Kings of Convenience, a Scandinavian singer/songwriter duo who just play guitar and sing, and I bought Small Talk by Sly & The Family Stone. That’s kinda what I’m on right now. I listen to that, and that affects my hip-hop.

What does Oddisee to do to relax?
Watch movies, eat really good food, hang out with friends doin’ absolutely nothin’; just sit around on the couch makin’ fun of eat other, play video games, read, walk. I walk A LOT. I love to just walk and look at everythin’ as I pass. I’m a very observant person. I notice everythin’. I do that a lot, to just clear my head. I love goin’ to museums; I go to ‘em constantly. New exhibitions, galleries, I’m always up on it. I know when they’re goin’ down, and I’m there.

I’m very much a home-body. I see goin’ out to clubs as work. When I don’t have to be on stage, I normally don’t prefer to be in a club. I prefer to stay at home, and stay there for days! Just makin’ music, and chillin’.

What’s next for Oddisee?
A million and one shows back in the States, and in-between those shows, finishin’ albums for all my Oddisee Music releases: Stik Figa from the Mid-West, Diamond District from the East coast, Trek Life from the West coast, Tranqill from the U.K. I’m gona bring back regional pride in hip-hop: cats that specifically relate to one demographic, and if they crossover to numerous ones, great. If they don’t, they weren’t designed to. My benefit: I eat off of all of it, but I want cats to really put what their about and where their from back on the map, and stop tryin’ to have this ‘one size fits all’ rap, yah’ mean! Be okay with takin’ that risk of everyone not likin’ you. Fuck it! Have a core audience that will follow you for the rest of your career, and get to buildin’ them now. That’s what Oddisee Music’s gona do. Cats who like Diamond District probably won’t like Stik Figa. Cats who like Stik Figa, maybe won’t like Trek Life; doesn’t matter. The cats that do like them, are gona love them, and they gona stay with them for ever. I’m buildin’ long-lastin’ careers.

Finish the sentence: WeAre……?

Progress, open minded, no nonsense, no gimmicks. WeAre real beyond being real to hip-hop; real to ourselves. WeAre risk takers, and we’re dope!

He did say he is all for doing a London show, but has no idea of if he has a audience here! To get him over here, holla at him via his blog.

Just to finish off, here is a video of Song For That, taken from Oddisee 101:

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more on Oddisee and his music, visit his Myspace, and Band Camp.

To contact him, visit his blog.

Words and photography by B.