| Oddisee | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Amir Mohamed |
| Origin | Prince George's County, Maryland |
| Genres | Hip Hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, Producer |
| Labels | Mello Music Group (2007-present) |
Oddisee, Born Amir Mohamed is a MC/ producer currently signed by Mello Music Group splitting his time between Brooklyn, Washington DC and London. He was born in Washington DC and raised in Prince George 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.
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Oddisee was born in Washington DC and raised in Prince George County in Maryland by his African American mother and Sudanese father. According to a National Public Radio interview with Mohamed, Prince George County is one of the wealthiest African American counties in the nation but borders some of the D.C. area’ s roughest parts [2] . Mohamed moved to D.C. 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 has moved to the Brooklyn area for the much larger industry. He now splits his time between New York, D.C. and London.
Oddisee was influenced musically at a young age by both sides of his family. From his father’s Sudanese side he pulled from the accomplished singers, guitarists and poets. His mother’s side showed him gospel and bluegrass [1] . According to Mello Music Group, he was first shown hip hop music by his older cousins and it was his father that gave him his first vinyl which influenced him to start producing of hip-hop music [1]. Upon graduation from high school he moved to D.C. 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 jumpstarted his career in music there in 2002 with his production of the song “Musik Lounge” for DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Magnificent LP 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 including Talib Kweli, J-Live, Little Brother and Apollo Brown[1] .
Soon after Oddisee’s release of “Musik Lounge” he joined a group called the Low Budget Crew which included several other DMV artists Kenn Starr, Cy Young, and Kev Brown. While working with this group Oddisee signed with Halftooth Records and released his EP Foot in the Door in 2006.
In 2008 Mohamed signed with Mello Music Group and released a series of projects over the years on which he either rapped or produced. These projects were: 101, Mental Liberation, Everything Changed Nothing, Odd Seasons,and The Traveling Man. He also created a DMV rap group named Diamond District and has released several projects with them. His first solo album is set to be released in the fall of 2011, titled People Hear what they See with Mello Music Group [1] .
Oddisee was originally influenced by his parent’s heritages combined with a hip hop influence from his older cousins. In an interview with NPR, Mohamed explained why he is influenced by early East Coast rappers such as Rakim and A Tribe Called Quest. He said that, “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, including 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 rappers from the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland areas that share a similar sound. This area is known as the DMV. These rappers 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 for and 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].
Halftooth records:
Instrumental Mixtape Volume One (2005)[5] The Remixture Vol. 1 (2006)[5] Foot in the Door (2006)[5] Instrumental Mixtape Vol. 2 (2006)[5]
Mello Music Group:
Mental Liberation (2009)[5] New Money –Trek life & Oddisee (2009)[5] Travelling Man (2010)[5] Odd Seasons (2011)[5] Rock Creek Park (2011)[5]
Oddisee Music:
Odd Autumn (2009)[5] Odd Spring (2010)[5]
Matthews, Aaron. "Oddisee Album Review." Exclaim.ca. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.
Noz, Andrew. "DMV Rap Attack: This Is Not a New Scene, People." NBC Washington, 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.
"Video: Trek Life - "So Supreme" On ESPN." Youtube.com. 7 June 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.