Oddisee's "AlWasta" EP Review

Oddisee is another rapper who had just recently been put onto my radar by the beautiful random reposts of SoundCloud, and when I saw the above picture I couldn't help but have my curiosity piqued. Oddisee (if you haven't heard of him) is a Washington D.C. based rapper who (on my first listen) definitely made me curious with his AlWasta EP. In case you didn't know (like me), "AlWasta" is an Arabic colloquial term used that means "the plug". The term "wasta" comes from the Arabic word "wasat" meaning “middle” or “middleman”, and describes a member of the community who acts as a connector using their wealth of social currency. Oh yes, Amir Elkhalifa aka Oddisee is a deep brother who makes even deeper music that sends a message that should be followed by everyone.

Oddisee is certainly one for live instrumentation and intimate vibes, and he gives those vibes all throughout AlWasta. He starts his EP off with "Asked About You", a heartfelt note that will still have your head bobbing. You get hints of Odd's deep lyrics and watery flow with lines like "I see the demons that hang around us on evenings and party with us on weekends". This deep opener jumps right into the real kick starter of the project, the wavy and almost spiritual "No Reservations", another smooth jam that gives off 70's jazz vibes where Oddisee entertainingly rambles about "time", and "political correctness". With these two opening tracks, Oddisee almost gives you the urge to sit in your own mind's purgatory and contemplate the problems of the world and how to make them better (he's almost got me wanting to take a spiritual trip to India to find myself).



"Strength & Weakness" is a song that you just want to raise your lighter up to and wave back and forth to like a drunken hippy at Woodstock. Oddisee's great use of live instrumentation (especially those hi hats) makes these songs pop in headphones, and would probably sound ten times better live, which is something that can't be said for most other hip hop acts using instrumentals. "Wouldn't Be Surprised" takes you on a rock n roll trip as soon as you hear that beginning guitar. You can tell as soon as the song starts that your head will be bobbing throughout the track, a feeling that can't be matched for hip hop heads, or better than that, music heads.

"Catching Vibes" is the opus of AlWasta, Oddisee creates a vibe that builds up perfectly to the hook, and when it hits it's something that you get sad hearing when it ends, waiting for the next time it comes around like the ice cream man (except you don't have to try to run and catch up). "Catching Vibes" has the same vibes that Kendrick gives off on "Alright" minus the socially conscience message, though Oddisee shows 50 plus shades of socially conscience all throughout AlWasta. I could only dream about "Catching Vibes" getting the shine that "Alright" did, but I can dream, right?


              (*I do not own these songs, or the rights to any of them*)
          
All in all, Oddisee makes it "odd to see" hip hop in such a different place, but certainly something refreshing to hear with some definite "feel good" vibes (see what I did there?). AlWasta is certainly for the experimental, but if you're open to actually using instruments in your hip hop (which yes, you should be) then Oddisee will certainly be a pleasurable listen for you. This project definitely has replay value, and may even be for the average music fan, as opposed to ONLY the average hip hop fan. So give AlWasta a chance and catch some vibes, you won't regret it.