Oddisee Explained

Oddisee
Birth Name:Amir Mohamed el Khalifa
Birth Date:24 February 1985
Birth Place:Washington, D.C., U.S.
Origin:Largo, Maryland, U.S.[1]
Genre:Hip hop
Years Active:1999–present

Amir Mohamed el Khalifa[2] (born on February 24, 1985),[3] better known by his stage name Oddisee, is a rapper and record producer from Washington, D.C.[4] He is one third of the rap trio Diamond District.[5] He was also part of the Low Budget Crew.[6] He is based in Brooklyn, New York.[7]

Early life

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 (who was also Sudanese) and father.[8] He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland,[8] as well as Prince George's County, Maryland. He moved to Washington, D.C. after high school.[10]

Career

In 2010, Oddisee released Traveling Man on Mello Music Group.[11] His Odd Spring mixtape was listed on the Washington Posts 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 a studio 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

Oddisee was originally influenced by Black American Jazz traditions and the Golden Age of Hip-Hop sounds from his older American cousins. Oddisee was primarily influenced by Black American musical traditions. Growing up next door to Parliament Funkadelic's bass player Gary Shider in P.G. County, Maryland left a deep musical impact on the young Oddisee. He is also influenced by Gospel music and the vocal harmonizing traditions of his Black American heritage. 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

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Mixtapes

EPs

Singles

As a member of Ave.to

Guest appearances

Productions

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Oddisee's Musical Guide To DC: Putting The Mid-Atlantic On The Map. Prefix. Capone. October 26, 2011. May 24, 2019.
  2. Web site: Oddisee's Hip-Hop Connects Through People Not Politics. Paste. Drew. Malmuth. May 18, 2015. December 16, 2015.
  3. Web site: Oddisee - Biography. Marisa. Brown. AllMusic. May 24, 2019.
  4. Web site: Oddisee. Exclaim!. Luke. Fox. December 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20130115171214/http://exclaim.ca/Interviews/WebExclusive/oddisee. January 15, 2013. May 24, 2019. dead.
  5. Web site: Oddisee. The A.V. Club. Steven. Hyden. June 3, 2012.
  6. Web site: Interview: Oddisee Talks About "People Hear What They See" And His Strategy To Remain Unknown. Complex. Jordan. Zirm. July 19, 2012.
  7. Web site: Songs We Love: Oddisee, 'Things'. NPR. Briana. Younger. December 15, 2016. May 24, 2019.
  8. Web site: Oddisee's 'The Iceberg' Has A Trove Of Stories Beneath Its Surface. NPR. Scott. Simon. February 18, 2017. May 24, 2019.
  9. Web site: 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. Oddisee. July 27, 2011. May 24, 2019.
  10. Web site: Raz. Guy. Oddisee: Hip-Hop Leaves the City. NPR. July 3, 2010. December 6, 2011.
  11. Web site: Oddisee: Traveling Man. PopMatters. Andrew. Martin. February 11, 2010.
  12. David Malitz, The Washington Post, ISSN 0190-8286, December 24, 2010, p. T.6
  13. Web site: Mixtape Of The Week: Oddisee Rock Creek Park. Stereogum. Tom. Breihan. September 21, 2011.
  14. Web site: Weiss. Jeff. Other oddities: Oddisee premieres 'I'm From PG' off his 'Odd Seasons' LP. Los Angeles Times. May 16, 2011.
  15. Web site: First Spin: Hear Oddisee's 'People Hear What They See'. Spin. Brandon. Soderberg. May 29, 2012.
  16. Web site: Oddisee - The Beauty In All. Clash. Marcus J.. Moore. July 10, 2013.
  17. Web site: The Top Projects We Missed In 2013. HipHopDX. Jesse. Fairfax. December 28, 2013.
  18. Web site: Oddisee: The Good Fight. Pitchfork. Marcus J.. Moore. May 1, 2015. December 16, 2015.
  19. Web site: Oddisee "The Odd Tape" Mixtape Stream, Cover Art & Tracklist. HipHopDX. Cherise. Johnson. May 17, 2016. December 30, 2016.
  20. Web site: Listen to Oddisee's New Album 'The Iceberg'. XXL. Sidney. Madden. February 24, 2017. December 8, 2017.
  21. Web site: Oddisee Teams With Good Compny For Live Album "Beneath The Surface". HipHopDX. Justin. Ivey. November 9, 2017. December 8, 2017.

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