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Information on Oddisee. Complete discography, ratings, reviews and more. Stream songs before you buy. Oddisee is the unbelievable. Producing, Rapping and what a Liveact!! Very Inspiring.
It’s been a minute since we last heard from Sudanese-American artist Oddisee, but thankfully that all changes here today. Out of nowhere, the Brooklyn native decides to surprise fans by releasing a new free EP called Alwasta.
Produced entirely by himself, here’s the story behind the 7-track effort… “'Alwasta' takes its title from the Arabic colloquial term used to mean “the plug.” The term “wasta” comes from the Arabic word “wasat,” meaning “middle” or “middleman,” and describes a member of the community who acts as a connector using their wealth of social currency. Understanding the value of social currency & how to use it (for better or worse) is what Amir Elkhalifa aka Oddisee focused on as the primary inspiration for his writings.'
Look for Oddisee to hit the road this summer for an upcoming tour (see dates here). He also is prepping the release of a beat tape for May as well.
Download the 7-track EP below and let us know what track you’re feeling the most?
Oddisee performing live. | |
Background information | |
---|---|
Birth name | Amir Mohamed el Khalifa |
Born | February 24, 1985 (age 34) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Origin | Largo, Maryland, U.S.[1] |
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Rapper, record producer |
Years active | 1999–present |
Labels | Halftooth Records, Mello Music Group, Oddisee Music, All City Records |
Associated acts | Low Budget Crew, Diamond District |
Website | oddisee.bandcamp.com |
Amir Mohamed el Khalifa[2] (born February 24, 1985[3]), better known by his stage name Oddisee, is an American rapper and record producer from Washington, D.C.[4] He is one third of rap trio Diamond District.[5] He was also part of the Low Budget Crew.[6] He is based in Brooklyn, New York.[7]
- 4Discography
Early life[edit]
Oddisee was born to an African American mother and a Sudanese father,[8] at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C.[9] He was raised by his stepmother and father, both of whom were Sudanese.[8] He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland,[8] as well as Prince George's County, Maryland.[10] He moved to Washington, D.C. after high school.[10]
Career[edit]
In 2010, Oddisee released Traveling Man on Mello Music Group.[11] His Odd Spring mixtape was listed on the Washington Post's Best Local Hip-Hop mixtapes of 2010.[12] In 2011, Oddisee released Rock Creek Park, which was ranked as a Mixtape of the Week by Stereogum.[13]Odd Seasons, a collection of EPs released throughout the previous 12 months, was also released that year.[14]
In 2012, he released an album, People Hear What They See.[15]The Beauty in All, his first instrumental release since Rock Creek Park, was released in 2013.[16] In that year, he also released Tangible Dream.[17] In 2015, he released The Good Fight.[18] In 2016, he released an EP, Alwasta, and a mixtape, The Odd Tape.[19] In 2017, he released a studio album, The Iceberg,[20] as well as a live album, Beneath the Surface.[21]
Style and influences[edit]
Oddisee was originally influenced by his parents' heritages, combined with a hip hop influence from his older cousins. In an interview with NPR, he explained why he was influenced by early East Coast emcees such as Eric B. & Rakim, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called Quest. He stated that these rappers don't talk about drugs or murder, and he could relate more to their lyrics.[10]
Discography[edit]
Studio albums[edit]
- 101 (2008)
- Mental Liberation (2009)
- New Money (2009) (with Trek Life)
- In the Ruff (2009) (with YU and Uptown XO, as Diamond District)
- Traveling Man (2010)
- People Hear What They See (2012)
- The Beauty in All (2013)
- Tangible Dream (2013)
- March on Washington (2014) (with YU and Uptown XO, as Diamond District)
- The Good Fight (2015)
- The Iceberg (2017)
Live albums[edit]
- Beneath the Surface (2017)
Compilation albums[edit]
- Odd Seasons (2011)
Mixtapes[edit]
- Instrumental Mixtape Volume One (2005)
- The Remixture Vol. 1 (2006)
- Foot in the Door (2006)
- Instrumental Mixtape Vol. 2 (2006)
- Odd Summer (2009)
- Odd Autumn (2009)
- Odd Winter (2010)
- Odd Spring (2010)
- Rock Creek Park (2011)
- The Odd Tape (2016)
EPs[edit]
- Good Tree (2008)
- Hear My Dear (2008)
- Odd Renditions Vol. 001 (2012)
- Alwasta (2016)
Singles[edit]
- 'Show You' b/w 'Part of the World' (2006) (with Heralds of Change)
- 'Once Again' (2006)
- '101' (2008)
- 'Slow It Down' (2012)
- 'Ain't That Peculiar (Remix)' (2013)
- 'Lost Cause' (2014) (with YU and Uptown XO, as Diamond District)
- 'That's Love' (2015)
Guest appearances[edit]
- DJ Jazzy Jeff - 'Musik Lounge' from The Magnificent (2002)
- The Foreign Exchange - 'The Answer' from Connected (2004)
- Kenn Starr - 'Nothing But Time' from Starr Status (2006)
- SoulStice - 'Get It Right' from Dead Letter Perfect (2007)
- Marco Polo - 'Low Budget Allstars' from Port Authority (2007)
- J-Live - 'The Upgrade' from Then What Happened? (2008)
- SoulStice & Sbe - 'Unfold' from Beyond Borders (2009)
- Apollo Brown - 'Lower the Boom' and 'Propa' from The Reset (2010)
- JR & PH7 - 'Hustle and Flow' from The Update (2010)
- B-Doub - 'All in a Days Work' from Food for Thought (2010)
- Apollo Brown - 'The Times' from Clouds (2011)
- DTMD - 'Been Tryin' from Makin' Dollas (2011)
- Trek Life - 'Might Sound Crazy' from Wouldn't Change Nothing (2011)
- Eric Lau - 'What I'd Rather' (2012)
- Trek Life - 'We Good' from Hometown Foreigner (2013)
- Eric Lau - 'Rise Up' from One of Many (2013)
- 20syl - 'Ongoing Thing' from Motifs (2014)
- Soulpete - 'Rhymes on Random' from Soul Raw (2014)
- Apollo Brown - 'What You Were Lookin' For' from Grandeur (2015)
- No Wyld - 'Nomads' from Nomads (2016)
Productions[edit]
- J-Live - 'Aaw Yeah' from The Hear After (2005)
- Sareem Poems - 'Tell It' and 'She So' from Black and Read All Over (2009)
- Verbal Kent - 'In the Beginning' from Save Your Friends (2010)
- Trek Life - 'Ready to Live', 'Still Never Rains', 'As the World Turns', 'Everything Changed Nothing', “Wow', 'Due West', 'So Supreme', 'I'd Rather Be', 'So LA', 'Jump Out There', and 'Might Sound Crazy' from Everything Changed Nothing (2010)
- Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime - 'Get Up Gogo' from Heaven or Hell (2010)
- Trek Life - 'Get in Touch' and 'Wouldn't Change Nothing' from Wouldn't Change Nothing (2011)
- Has-Lo - 'Last Day of School' from Conversation B (2011)
- Homeboy Sandman - 'Whatchu Want from Me?' from First of a Living Breed (2012)
- Substantial - 'Check My Resume', 'Make Believe', 'Shit on My Lawn', 'Umoja', and 'Movin Alright' from Home Is Where the Art Is (2012)
- Rainy Milo - 'The Other Way' from Limey (2012)
- Joey Badass - 'Sorry Bonita' from Summer Knights (2013)
- Far Exp - 'Checklist' from The Expansion (2014)
- King Mez - 'New Vinyl' (2014)
- Finale - Odds & Ends (2015)
References[edit]
- ^Capone (October 26, 2011). 'Oddisee's Musical Guide To DC: Putting The Mid-Atlantic On The Map'. Prefix. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^Malmuth, Drew (May 18, 2015). 'Oddisee's Hip-Hop Connects Through People Not Politics'. Paste. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^Brown, Marisa. 'Oddisee - Biography'. AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^Fox, Luke (December 2012). 'Oddisee'. Exclaim!. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^Hyden, Steven (June 3, 2012). 'Oddisee'. The A.V. Club.
- ^Zirm, Jordan (July 19, 2012). 'Interview: Oddisee Talks About 'People Hear What They See' And His Strategy To Remain Unknown'. Complex.
- ^Younger, Briana (December 15, 2016). 'Songs We Love: Oddisee, 'Things''. NPR. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ abcSimon, Scott (February 18, 2017). 'Oddisee's 'The Iceberg' Has A Trove Of Stories Beneath Its Surface'. NPR. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^Oddisee (July 27, 2011). 'I lie, I was born in Howard University Hospital... but it's near the park. Still pretty sure my parents did it in the park... ew'. Twitter. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ abcRaz, Guy (July 3, 2010). 'Oddisee: Hip-Hop Leaves the City'. NPR. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
- ^Martin, Andrew (February 11, 2010). 'Oddisee: Traveling Man'. PopMatters.
- ^David Malitz, The Washington Post, ISSN 0190-8286, December 24, 2010, p. T.6
- ^Breihan, Tom (September 21, 2011). 'Mixtape Of The Week: Oddisee Rock Creek Park'. Stereogum.
- ^Weiss, Jeff. 'Other oddities: Oddisee premieres 'I'm From PG' off his 'Odd Seasons' LP'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
- ^Soderberg, Brandon (May 29, 2012). 'First Spin: Hear Oddisee's 'People Hear What They See''. Spin.
- ^Moore, Marcus J. (July 10, 2013). 'Oddisee - The Beauty In All'. Clash.
- ^Fairfax, Jesse (December 28, 2013). 'The Top Projects We Missed In 2013'. HipHopDX.
- ^Moore, Marcus J. (May 1, 2015). 'Oddisee: The Good Fight'. Pitchfork. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^Johnson, Cherise (May 17, 2016). 'Oddisee 'The Odd Tape' Mixtape Stream, Cover Art & Tracklist'. HipHopDX. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
- ^Madden, Sidney (February 24, 2017). 'Listen to Oddisee's New Album 'The Iceberg''. XXL. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
- ^Ivey, Justin (November 9, 2017). 'Oddisee Teams With Good Compny For Live Album 'Beneath The Surface''. HipHopDX. Retrieved December 8, 2017.
External links[edit]
- Oddisee on SoundCloud
- Oddisee discography at Discogs
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