At just 12 years old his mom bought him his first bass guitar, which he taught himself to play. Obi Original then spent his childhood dubbing tracks, teaching himself a diverse repertoire of sounds and music. He also gained formal music theory through school bands and choirs. Since then, Obi Original explored various genres of music from hip-hop to trap and artistries from DJing to producing.
Now a solo artist he creates Afro-centric music that is inspired by and for the African diaspora. Making music, and living for the future he works to curate music that enlightens.
“I’ve always told people that I’m an ethno-musicologist first before anything,” he said. “Just to define terms [it] is the study of world music and how it affects the world at large.”
Tuesday, July 21, Obi Original and the Black Atlantic will perform at Obrich Gardens After Hours event from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the penultimate performance in their ‘Sorry Oga’ tour. This rendition of the weekly series ‘Olbrich After Hours’ will feature Collard Fest, hosted by Firm Footing Farm, where local food trucks sell various dishes inspired by collard greens. Music begins at 6:45 with Madison’s own Black Star Drum Line. Food is available for purchase from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.
A Minneapolis-based artist long known for his trap and hip hop producing abilities, Obi Original made the sudden switch to Afro Beats in 2019. His solo career has blossomed since. He eventually created ‘The Black Atlantics,’ an organization of musicians that plays alongside him.
He said that his musical journey has followed an inverted path, starting in more contemporary music, hip-hop and trap until 2016, and landing on music inspired heavily by the Nigerian-based genre highlife.
Obi Original works to enlighten people across the country about the importance and influence of Afrocentric music and the diaspora. Rock, reggae and jazz all stem from Afrocentric music, he said. When listening to a Nigerian track from the 70’s you may hear familiarities with jazz, rock or dancehall, he said. The Black Atlantics consists of artists from various musical disciplines, said Obi Original. Performing his music gives them a chance to discover and play the music that “started it all,” he said.
“These disciplines have had their time, have had their spotlights, have had their symposiums, have had their conferences, their attention to time from the general public. But the music that I do has not had that time. It has not had those symposiums. It’s not had those big conferences. But yet, it is the origin of all of this music,” said Obi Original.
In 2023 his solo career blossomed, working with Libancia on the song People and on tour as she opened for Alicia Keys. These experiences have given him the opportunity to share his music and message with millions of people, he said.
“In the context of Wisconsin, the knowledge of diversity in [that] context also lies into every facet in our lives,” he said. “That’s why I say [the Black Atlantics is] more of an organization [than a band] because the organization is about the education or the re-education of what it means to be Black and African. Respectfully, there has not been enough effort for that to be taught in our schools.”
Staying true to what you know is paramount to creating a life that enlightens, he said. If you hold on to what you know and do not waiver whilst still respecting others you will go far. It is never too late to have your ‘lightbulb moment’ he said.
“It was never a distinct time, but it’s very important to know that, like, if you’re living in, it is very difficult for life to frown at you. Life could be hard. Life could be difficult, but it’s very hard for life itself to frown at you if you’re living for your purpose,” said Obi Original.
In his own parable he likens civilization to cows and their grazing. He teaches the importance of living your own life, not following along with the herd when it is not best for you.
“We herd in the same place, and we eat the same grass. And before you know it, everybody’s eating the same grass. There’s no grass to eat when you could just turn around across the river and see a pasture of green,” said Obi Original. “I’m going to go across that river to the green pasture. I know surely that there will come a time that there will be other cows that will come and join.”