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Oddisee

Oddisee
Oddisee performing live
Oddisee performing live
Background information
Birth nameAmir Mohamed el Khalifa
Born (1985-02-24) February 24, 1985 (age 39)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
OriginLargo, Maryland, U.S.[1]
GenresHip hop
Occupations
Years active1999–present
Labels
Websiteoddisee.bandcamp.com

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 hip hop trio Diamond District.[5] He was also part of the Low Budget Crew.[6] He is based in Brooklyn, New York.[7]

Early life

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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.[10] He moved to Washington, D.C. after high school.[10]

Career

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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 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

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Oddisee was originally influenced by Black American jazz traditions and the Golden Age of hip-hop 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

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Oddisee performing at the Appletree Garden Festival in Diepholz, Germany, 2016
Oddisee at Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho, 2018

Studio albums

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Live albums

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Compilation albums

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Mixtapes

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EPs

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Singles

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As a member of Ave.to

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Guest appearances

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Productions

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References

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