Genre:Hip-Hop / Rap
Where are the phenomenons? In a time where the industry is flooded with cookie-cutter images, most Hip-Hop lovers either rely on classics to get them through their day-to-day groove or wait anxiously for new music from artists that continuously present fresh ideas. Omen, an introspective, Hyde Park, Chicago artist, accurately chose his stage name and strives for nothing short of authenticity. Omen's striking solo feature on J. Cole's mixtape Friday Night Lights was enough to prove that he's a progressive sign of things to come for the Hip Hop community. Omen was invited on the Light Dreams and Nightmares tour headlined by Drake and J. Cole, which stopped in several European places such as London, Paris, Germany and Sweden where international fans eagerly embraced his Chicago perspective.
Inspired by the likes of Nas, Common, and Outkast as well as artists like Radiohead and Lauryn Hill , the on-again/off-again pianist since the age of 14 picked up rapping 10 years ago and has been producing for 8 of those years. As a genuine music lover, Omen expresses who he is as an artist and a person, writing lyrics that discuss his experiences and that of others' or at least the way it looks through his eyes.
"I write it where it's specific enough where you get that this is my experience, but not so specific where you can't relate to it. There has to be a balance."
Omen's debut release with Dreamville Records, Elephant Eyes, was highly celebrated by his fans and held some noteworthy collaborations. Omen handled the production duties along with Ron Gilmore for the entire project, but found time to share verses with Roc Nation signee J. Cole, labelmate Bas, and singer Ari Lennox. The idea behind the title?
"A lot of the writing was storytelling through memories I have. An old girlfriend nicknamed me Elephant Eyes years ago and I always thought about the concept of elephants never forget."Omen most recently can be found on the Dreamville/Interscope release, Revenge of the Dreamers 2.