The Stand recently had a feature on D.C. rapper/producer Oddisee, one of the best doing it right now. He talks about In the Ruff, the project that he dropped towards the end of last year with his group Diamond District (Oddisee, YU, and XO). And while he doesn’t delve too deep into the nerd talk that I’m so fond of, he does shed some light on his production style and philosophy.
What struck me most was how adamant he is about putting out his own, unique brand of Hip Hop. I’m not sure how successfully he’s managed to monetize is abilities or how sizable his revenue stream is, but his refusal to follow the latest Hip Hop trends is inspiring. On top of that, it seems that Jay Electronica is getting radio play somewhere, which, to me, is indicative of a resurgence of ’90s American culture— and this gives me great hope for the future of Hip Hop.
So, at the risk of seeming overly self-indulgent, I look back on my album, Party With a Drumkit, and it’s apparent to me that I was forcing things a bit, despite the fact that the point of the project was to display my versatility as a producer. There are definitely tracks where I saw a sample or preliminary compositional idea leaning one way, and I forced it in a different direction. So, going forward, I intend to just do me, because I believe that’s really the best and only way to make music.
If you haven’t already, get your hands on a copy of In the Ruff, because it’s one of the best albums from ’09 (peep Boxstar up top to catch a sample).
Do you fool. That’s all anybody wants out of you and your wiry frame.