“Obie Trice, Real Name No Gimmicks…”
Sipping a vodka cranberry, Obie is sitting on top of a cushy couch in a VIP section of a NYC club. He is a bit tired, a little drunk, extremely satisfied from his show and is not ready to call it a night yet. His entourage of Shady Records’ artists, friends and bodyguards is all around him. He doesn’t go through the details of his show in his head or look for excited faces of fans surrounding him. He is confident, content and is just relaxing as any other person in the club. His years as an accomplished emcee, a lyricist and a performer made him strong and self-assured. The ‘100%’ tattoo on his neck is just that – he gave his all to his fans tonight and now he rests.
Obie comes from Greenfield in Detroit. As other Hip Hop artists he has a similar story of personal struggles and challenges he had to face from an early age. Yet, unlike others, he has a very unique and moving story. “I was raised from the cradle to do hip hop,” he says. When he was only 9 years old, his mother recognized his passion and bought him a karaoke machine. Since then there was no turning back. He’s been evolving and progressing on constant basis with various music and video media, including: numerous mixtapes; appearances on albums including Eminem, 50 cents, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface and others; Smack DVD appearance; “8 mile” movie and even a Japanese animation film. “As I get older my views change, I evolve.” Obie says. “My new album is a direct reflection of that.”
When it comes to influences for Obie Trice he splits that credit between various artists and his own family, that’s been incredibly supportive of him. In his song “Don’t Come Down” he talks about his childhood interactions with his mother. He talks about her being there for him and helping him through many difficult times. While he sees his skills as an emcee and a lyricist to be strongly entwined, Obie considers himself a lyricist first. In his life and his lyrics he revolves between the present state of his affairs and still gives back to the streets.
His personal goal is to start a label and help various emcees to get started. “I will draft them like the NBA does,” he says. “I will show everyone my passion, talk about different issues, and inspire new [artists].”
Being from Detroit (Obie has large DETROIT CITY tattoos on his arms), he obviously talked about the other Detroit emcees. “I grew up without Marshall. I had my own way, but we aren’t that different. He had the trailer park, I had the hood. Him [Eminem] and I got along great the moment we met, but we have our own movements.”
Currently signed with Shady Records Obie doesn’t let it go to his head. He keeps in touch with his roots closely. Unlike many other artists from the hood, from Mos Def to Jay Z (Bedsty, Brooklyn) he is constantly seen at home.
Talking about Proof he held back. “I know what they say but I won’t comment until I have all the facts. It’s under investigation now.” Throughout Obie’s concert ‘R.I.P. Proof’ was heard from all: his hype man Bang, himself, and of course from the crowd of fans. That’s not counting the T-shirts everyone wore and a large poster Obie placed on stage, paying respect to the fellow fallen artist.
He has a little daughter name Kobie. He is very close to her. She is 9, but Obie says she is very mature for her age. Spending his childhood mostly with other boys he is happy to have her in his life. “She is like a sister I never had” he says.
Shortly after Obie jumped into one of the three black SUV’s waiting for him and his entourage outside and departed to have fun at a local club. Shady Record’s video producer was throwing a party nearby and it didn’t take long to convince Obie to drink his vodka there. “Quick’s in NY?” he exclaimed. After a 30-second telephone conversation between Obie and Quick, SOBs backstage emptied and Obie and other artists left with the crew.
‘Second Round’s On Me’ is the name of his new album. It features a hit single ‘Snitch’, which he performs with Akon. As you may remember Young Jeezy established popularity in New York after a song with Akon also. Hopefully we’ll hear Obie’s name more and more often here in NY and all over the country. After all, don’t forget what he said: ‘Second Round’s On Me’!
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