Ozy

By Charley Lee

Photo by Calvin E. Evans

For those who don’t know, hip-hop isn’t dead, it’s just sleeping, and there’s at least one person out there ready to wake it back up. Entrenched in the local underground hip-hop scene is South Carolina native Ozy. Before coming to Atlanta, Ozy made up one-half of the rap duo The Spades with his partner in rhyme, Indy. After the success of The Spades’ local hit, “Incredible SC,” Ozy branched out to develop his talents as a solo artist. The Spades, while still very much in the picture, are on a temporary hiatus while Ozy focuses more on his solo work.

“Even though Indy and I had really creative music, my solo material has much more direction,” says Ozy. “Don’t get it fucked up though. I’m a Spade ‘til I die.” Ozy’s music can be likened to the socially conscious hip-hop prevalent in the days of Grandmaster Flash and kept alive today by the likes of Mos Def, dead prez and underground darlings such as Busdriver and Ras Kass. The beats are old-school and original, not flashy and over-produced. And Ozy’s message rings loud and clear. He makes a plea for more originality, saying, “You’re only hurtin’ yourself and my ears putting out bullshit.” The focus of Ozy’s music is on bringing hip-hop back into the hands of the artists and out of the hands of ‘the industry.’

“Personally, I think [Nas] was brilliant for coming out and saying ‘Hip-Hop Is Dead,’” says Ozy. “It started a much-needed dialogue between the younger and older generations of people who live this culture. I love where hip-hop is going more than where it is. Hip-hop is going through what jazz and rock ‘n’ roll went through. Some would say those two genres are dead, but they just kind of went underground.”

A sample of work from Ozy’s latest release, The Last Dragon Mixtape, showcases his ability to flow and mix words like a true poet. While a number of artists ranging from Ice Cube to James Brown influence Ozy’s music, the main impetus is life itself. “What I see, feel and hear on a daily basis influences my music,” he explains. “And when you listen, my goal is to make you feel how I felt when I wrote it.”

One of the strongest features of the The Last Dragon Mixtape is the fact that the music claims no regional bias. One track may sound like West Coast gangsta rap, another might sound like Dirty South crunk, and a few tracks later, East Coast mafioso rap floods the speakers. Ozy credits this diversity to the original kings of eclectic. “I got a tribute to Outkast on the mixtape,” he notes. “Coming from the South myself, they made me see that I could really be an artist and not musically restrict myself to a region.”

Ozy is currently working on several projects and has plans to release a debut album. “The debut album is definitely in the works,” he says. “I’ve got a lot of people helping who believe in me. My roll dog Illastrate is definitely doing a lot of my production. Koda, D.R.U.G.S., Mr. Q and Jay Fab have given me a lot of hot tracks to rock as well.” The Last Dragon Mixtape, which features guest MCs and Ozy’s labelmates, is available at Mood Music in Atlanta and tracks can be heard on Ozy’s MySpace page.

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