Today we’d like to introduce you to Oso Muka.
Hi Oso, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born here in Atlanta, but my family is split between being from Detroit or here in Atlanta.
I started my interest in music watching my cousin, Torrey, go out on and rap at basketball courts with the adults. That’s when I started liking rap, but I started with music in church when I was in choir. Being part of the choir, I wanted to do something different, I didn’t want to be just another face on there. I was 13 and I started to sing gospel rap, then once I got in high school, I started getting into battle rap. One of the guys I used to do battle rap with after four years of battling, he told me about a studio that was down the street at his house. That led into recording music when we ended up going down there, then boom. We made a song in that same day with two of my friends.
After that, I ended up coming closer with my barber Triandos Morris. When you’re there, you find a lot to talk about and we ended up growing a bond together, talking about music and rap, recording and writing. One day, I got it in the middle of the night, that drive that hits you. I pulled up my phone, called him at 3 in the morning and I told him I wanted to take music seriously. The next day, he ordered a bunch of equipment and got it set up in his basement. We sat there together and learned how to engineer music from youtube, something we’re still perfecting at this point. Every person that sat in his chair after that, Triandos Morris would put me on the spot and would ask customers to see if I was good. He wanted to get the feel from real everyday people and see if they were willing to support any way they can as far as building relationships, investments and promotions.
We eventually built a team, some of the people that Triandos Morris cut ended up becoming part of the team. Then, we had some other artists come, some stayed and some left. As we started recording, more people came over to Triandos Morris’s studio at his basement and we gave them a shot. We came up with a team which Block Bandit came from. Cause, we see from ourselves, we’re the superheroes that come and lead. We’re here when everyone needs us, but we’re gone when there no problems. When shit hits the fan, the Block Bandit helps.
We continued with the grind, some people fell off, some stayed. Recently, we started getting our message and platform out there more doing shows for colleges, major labels such as Atlantic Records, local organizations and radio stations ranging from Tampa, Florida to Detroit, Michigan. This, besides Atlanta, is where my biggest plays are at. We most recently attended black empowering events like Malcolm X Day and we have plans on some Juneteenth events. Our message as Block Bandits wants us to show our melanin is not a downfall, it’s a superpower. We want to show the industry you can be different even if it’s not recommended.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all. We’ve dealt with deaths in the family, some of our members being hospitalized. We dealt with money problems, even when we couldn’t afford to get into shows. Our biggest problem was dealing with people that claimed they were committed, but their actions didn’t show it. We had to have the same drive as a team, and not everyone did. Besides all of that, our biggest was us not having the funds, the equipment and resources that we would need to be able to succeed. We had to do everything ourselves and it taught us a lot, but it made everything harder.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an artist that bases his music off of substance, delivery, flow switching and depth. My music has to have substance and baseline, be it releasing substance of depression and anxiety or things that happened on the streets. I want music that has meaning, music that hits you.
I’d say I’m known for punchlines and rhythm. It really reflects just my humor and how people know me for being funny. My goal is to lyrically kill every rapper in my face and to work on being the best that I can. I want to be able to defeat any competition that comes my way.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
We mostly use Logic Pro-X and edit my own videos on Final Cut Pro. For my music inspiration, I listen to a lot of jazz and reggae.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @osomuka
- Facebook: osomuka
- Twitter: osomuka
- Youtube: osomuka
- SoundCloud: osomuka
Image Credits
Triandos Morris
