Today we’d like to introduce you to Omari M’$.
Hi Omari, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a recording artist hailing out of North Atlanta, really the Gwinnett area. I moved here from New York/Jersey in 2007 so it’s no surprise that I’m often told people hear a “East Coast” presence when I’m rapping. I graduated from high school (2013) and college (2019) in Gwinnett and began taking music serious towards the end of my senior year in college. Three months after I graduated college my life got extremely real. During the beginning of the Covid Crisis in early 2020, my father who had Sickle Cell Disease had a crisis that he ultimately would not recover from. In March of that year until early/mid May I had to see my father in a comatose state would created a pain inside me I never knew could exist. The only way I could cope with these emotions was through writing music. Now I’ve wrote and recorded plenty of records before this situation but I had not truly put my emotions and thoughts into my music.
So my father’s sickness prompted me to write a song titled “Bottom 2 The Balcony” where it was the first time I wrote lyrics that pertained to my family members. I spent the rest of 2020 going through the motions of adjusting to the new times we were living in as well as accepting that my Pops was no longer here. I dropped three projects between May 2020 to the following year but I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. I think my father’s passing made me feel that I had to be successful right there and then or that my father’s death would be in vein. The pressure I was putting on myself along with the depression I hadn’t even known I slipped into would put a damper on my personal growth which I wasn’t able to see at the time. Eventually in August of 2021, I took a break from everything. Music, social media, being outside, talking to friends. I broke away from everything to try and find happiness, myself and peace. I began reading Don Miguel’s “The 4 Agreements” collection, Sister Souljah’s “Coldest Winter Ever” Cornel West’s “Brother West” and some other books to name a few. I started going on daily walks on The Beltline, spent time at Piedmont Park and picked up painting. I was getting in tune with activities that brought me joy. Along with this, I began having more conversations with my mother, grandmother, brother and other family members to get a better understanding of my family and why we are the way we are. All these realizations helped me remember who I am but also find who I want to be.
After I began making these changes in my life I went back to writing but this time, I’m writing about the conversations I was having and the experiences I had gone through over the past year and a half. I was lucky enough to get where there was “no cap in my rap.” Everything I began to write was from the heart and I felt that because we all deal with pain, the songs that I was writing would resonate perfectly with the world. The end result of all that pain and growth was “Flourish” which is the latest album I dropped. This album covers everything from depression to true love to healing and is available on all streaming platforms.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has not been smooth at all. I had to face things that I did not like about myself. I had to work on my self-control, being more considerate of others, letting things go. The list really does go on. I’ve always been the type of person to “do what I want” regardless of who it impacted or what the consequences were. Once my father passed, I realized that I’m not very vocal about my emotions or how I feel which made me think about how many other people feel the way I feel. Immediately I became somewhat of an empath and began taking other people’s feelings into consideration (I know this sounds like common sense but sadly that’s just not how I viewed people before). Shedding old habits was definitely the hardest challenge because as humans become so stuck in our ways.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In Layman’s Terms, I’m a recording artist. I rap but I don’t ever want to box myself in as a “rapper.” Rappers tend to get bad reputations from being rude, disrespecting women, being late and extremely volatile. None of those traits describe me. I make music from my heart, knowing that everyday people can relate. I rap about experiences and situations that I go through as well as the trauma that is hard for me to speak on, on a daily basis. I have three projects out, “Quentin Quarntino,” “Life of A Don: Vol. 1” & “Flourish” and I’m currently working on some other music projects.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I actually have a mentor. Mr. John Hunter is a family friend and Army Vet who has been a mentor for me since I was about 17 years old. As a mentor, Mr. John helps instill hope and love in me which is extremely important as a black man. I feel as if having an older mentor could be beneficial for anybody needing insight on life. There’s just certain things somebody older than you may have been through that they could assist you with.
As far as networking goes, I would say surround yourself with like-minded people and people who have things going for themselves. I truly believe that the universe reacts to whatever you put out. If you’re constantly working to accomplish your goals, discussing plans with people you trust and getting feedback, the world will put you around the people that are going to help you succeed.
Contact Info:
- Email: omarimmusic@gmail.com or my manager (cantbuyus@gmail.com)
- Website: https://linktr.ee/goldbottledon
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldbottledon/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mari3times/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/goldbottledon
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCagS99fxWR0rgDhSkgJUsug
Image Credits
Photos taken in the “Pulp Fiction” tee shirt were taken by Joseph Avanto (@avantogarde on IG) Photos with lavender background, album cover and green background were taken by Je’Remy Crispin (@remycrispin on IG)
