When you’re Tech N9ne’s cousin and you decide to be in the music game, you’ll certainly have a lot to live up to. Oobergeek, still not old enough to 20, certainly feels the pressure to carry on the family name and become something great, but if his work is any indication, he’s certainly on his way, if not there already. With stunning guest verses on Tech N9ne’s “What’s Next”, “No More Music By The Suckas” and “I Love Music”, Oobergeek has proven that he is more than just someone with family ties, but rather he is someone that deserves to flow side by side with the best in the business.

Fresh off of an opening slot for a spot on the grueling Hostile Takeover 2012 Tour, we talked to Oobergeek to get his plans for the future and to to tell us why his performance was also his coming out party.

Last time Strange Music fans heard from you was when you were on “I Love Music” on Tech’s All 6’s and 7’s with Kendrick Lamar, what have you been up to since then?

I put out a few singles. I just released two singles: one was called “Noise” and one was called “Same Difference”. You can find those two tracks on theoobergeek.bandcamp.com and they should be right there.

Who produced on these?

Me!

And that’s what you’re going to school for right?

Yeah, it started out as audio engineering but has turned into music production.

Did learning the audio engineering help you with your production?

Oh yeah. Just figuring out how much low-end you want, the mids, the highs and everything. All that makes a difference to the listener and I’m glad that I learned that.

So you released these two songs, what are your plans for your music? You’re only 20 right? What are your plans for after school? Do you plan on doing music as a career?

Yes I do plan on doing this as a career. Let’s go back a little bit because I’ve been going back and forth with Seven. We’re talking about doing a little project here in a little bit.

What do you like about Seven as a producer and someone to work with?

Just his understanding of artistry. He has an understanding of all aspects of music. I was e-mailing him and telling him “This is what I like” and then he sent me like what I love with his twist on it and it was so beautiful.

Are you thinking EP? Album?

We’re going to do an EP.

When you guys work together do you tell him what you’re looking for before you get it or do you just listen to whatever he has laying around at the time?

He sends over some tracks and then I might put in notes or whatever. Like maybe a certain synth in the second verse. Just things like that. Little minor stuff but he pretty much has it all as far as the production.

You said you’ve been dabbling in production and inserting notes into beats where they might be needed, do you have a background in theory or anything like that?

Oh yeah, I took theory classes and everything. I have a good understanding of what’s playing or if a key is off or something like that. I always have had the ear for it.

About your music, I remember you on Twitter saying a while back that Scoob told you that basically music tells a story and that nobody really wants to hear your story.

He told me “You don’t struggle enough.” This was when I first started making music. I showed him and it was Makzilla in the backseat. I was showing them my music and Scoob was like “Dog you ain’t got no struggle, you ain’t got no reason.” Ever since then those words stuck to me, so I’ve been basing all of the music off of career life experiences that I’ve been going through for the last five years.

What kind of problems are you facing? I would imagine a lot of growing pains.

Yeah and then the struggle of being in college, having barely any money in your pocket, paying rent for apartments and everything. It’s just an everyday problem. Like, I know other people go through this so when I rap it it seems more familiar to the listeners.

Do you think that you can have an orderly life and still make music with struggle that people can relate to? Is disorder a necessity for creating struggle music?

I base it off of what I’ve seen too. Some of rapping is observation so when I see other people’s struggles, I can put it into details. That’s my gift: I can put things in detail and tell it on a beat.

How much of your music is observation and how much is your life?

It’s 50/50.

When you write someone else’s story are they ever aware of it?

No, because sometimes I might know more than one person that’s going through what I’m talking about.

What are you hoping for this EP? Is there a vision for it in terms of the sound and content? Are you chasing a certain feeling with this project?

Seven and I are still in the pitching ideas stage. In a week like I’ll discuss with him the temperature of the EP, the mood of it and everything. Hopefully we’ll get the ball rolling and have something great for the listeners.

What would your hopes be from the EP? What are your hopes in general for succeeding with music?

I’m just taking it one day at a time for real. Whatever opportunities comes to me I know it’s fitting. If that opportunity comes I’ll just make the best of it.

Let’s rewind to the show you performed on during Hostile Takeover 2012. Which show did you do?

I performed at Firestone Live on June 24th in Orlando. Florida, I opened up and everything for Tech and it was amazing.

How did you get the opportunity?

It was pretty easy. Tech knows I live here in Florida and he was going to be stopping by. Him and my father just talked it back and forth and my dad just asked if I could come on stage and open up and Tech was like “Cool” and that’s how that happened. That was real easy kind of.

Yeah I would think.

The response of the audience was amazing. I never thought that it would get to that point where people are like hollering and you’re like rapping and they’re like smiling at you and they’re like waving their hands and all of this stuff. It was really a good sight to see from the stage.

You seem kind of like a quiet kind of guy. Does that change when you’re on stage?

Oh yeah.

How does just “the person” in you respond to that when you see people clamoring for you? What goes through your mind and what does it do to your confidence?

It boosts my confidence like really boosts it. It’s inspiration to do more music and make them want more. That’s all it does. It’s like really inspiring to see these people in the crowd and when you go home and make your own beats, you just start to think of all this while you’re making it and it just comes out very beautiful.

Do you start to think when you’re making music how it might translate to a crowd?

Yeah. Like you know definitely when it plays like “A lot of people are going to love this.” I ain’t been wrong so far.

What songs did you perform?

I did “Noise”. I did “No More Music By The Suckas” by me, Tech and Black Vein. I did a track that I did with Krizz Kaliko that didn’t get to make it on Kickin’ & Screamin’, it’s called “Call Me When It’s On”. I did “I Love Music” and my first single “Prolem”.

How do you take inspiration from what Tech does and apply it to your own show?

I take a lot of inspiration from Tech. When he’s on stage. We used to be background dancers so we used to see him perform all the time and the high energy that he has makes you question his age and everything. It’s amazing that I can look up to him and see him on the stage and not copy his moves but copy his performance philosophy for the people who listen to his music.

Did Tech compliment you on your performance?

Yeah! He actually went against his superstition to come out in the crowd and watch me. I was humbled by that. For him to say that. Just to think that it was a superstition to watch me from the crowd was an honor because he broke that. I was definitely proud of myself.

How did that feel for him to go out there and watch you like that?

It felt great! I didn’t even see him. I actually saw Stevie Stone in the crowd. Tech just told me that he was out there and I was like “Cool!” He took a picture and put it up on his Twitter or whatever and it was just amazing. I didn’t know how to take all the compliments. I was getting compliments right and left. I was like “Yo, I don’t know how to deal with this.”

Did it feel like a coming out party for you as far as being a live performer?

Yeah it did. This was my first show by myself and doing music that I actually want to do. So yeah I do take it as a coming out party.

What can fans expect from you in the future?

I was actually making some music right now, writing and everything. Expect it in like…hmm…at the most a week. I got something with my clergy member, Dino Green he’s going to put something out, it’s called “Recording”. It’s basically about what I see and observe, just what we were talking about, and being the only one that’s not seeing and recording all these things that’s happening in the world.

Before we wrap this up, is there anything you want to say to your fans and the people that have supported you from Strange Music?

Thank you! To say the least. I really feel the love when they come down here and go out of there way and put me on an opener for a show. I want to thank Travis and Tech for giving me that opportunity, for songs and all of that. Thank you.

– Interview conducted by Jeff Nelson, Senior Blog Editor

Follow Oobergeek on Twitter @theOobergeek

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