On The Come Up: Amir Obe

HotNewHipHop's On The Come Up series profiles rising stars in the rap game that show strong promise and the will to succeed. Most of the time, they're new to the site but deserve some shine. We will profile artists and producers ranging from those in the deep underground to artists just about to bubble up into the mainstream that you may have missed. You'll be able to check out some of their best work, and we'll break down what makes them great by category. Throughout the article, you'll find links to hear more from the artist or producer, and you can leave suggestions in the comments letting us know who we should profile in the future.

In this week's edition, we head to hip-hop's birthplace to chop it up with Amir Obe, a young Brooklyn rapper making futuristic, yet classic music. He's blending old school storytelling and new age sound to set himself apart from the competition. If he sounds familiar, you may know him as his former name Phreshy Duzit, an alter-ego that died along with his old style, making way for a much more organic and personal brand of hip-hop. In regards to his former name, and his record deal that didn't quite work out, he remains positive, now seeing that he needed to go through all that to arrive where he is today, one of the most exciting young artists in the game. 

We got the chance to talk to Amir about, among other things, the identity swap, his time with Atlantic, and why Detrooklyn was the most personal music he's put out to date. If for some reason you don't already have his latest release, you can stream or download it in full below.

Amir Obe (Phreshy Duzit) - Detrooklyn

Amir Obe has had a roller coaster ride of a career so far. While his most loyal fans have supported him from the jump, the 24-year-old has had to fight his way to recognition every step of the way. From a label trying to change his image and sound on their terms, to making a major change for himself, it hasn't been an easy journey. We'll cover all that throughout the article, but let's focus first on what really matters: the music.

This summer, Obe dropped his highly anticipated Detrooklyn project, his first since 2012's The New Religion. It was received with much acclaim from fans and critics alike, garnering a VERY HOTTTTT rating from HNHH's editors and users. While the project marked a colossal shift for him sound-wise, it also represented a change in his identity. Up until that point, he had been known as Phreshy Duzit, and in giving his fans what he felt was his most personal music, he thought he should go by his real name too.

With Detrooklyn being his first release under his government name, it served as his introduction to a lot of new fans, as well as a matured and evolved project for fans of his old alter-ego. We asked him to briefly describe his style to anybody that hadn't heard him yet and he simply said, "The future. I'd say it was musical and progressive with no derivatives." Listening to all 14 tracks, we definitely hear what he means. The young MC blends his signature lyricism with next level musicality, putting instruments to work that rarely get any shine, like the church organ and steel drums on the NYLZ-produced "My D".

What's in a name, really? In hip-hop, we've seen plenty of artists change their stage name when things weren't going their way, or they simply needed a fresh start. Like any major change, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. While name changes worked for K. Dot and Tity Boi, it's always a risk when you're dealing with an existing fanbase. In Amir Obe's case, the change was necessary. He had gone by the name Phreshy Duzit in the past, a name that doesn't necessarily convey a mature image. When he was making party music, the name fit his style perfectly, but he outgrew it. Obe wanted to give his old fans and new fans alike music that more closely represented him. He wasn't going to take any more cues from label heads when it came to his music, and what better name to go by when you have a clean slate than your own?

We asked him about the switch and he told us, "I've always approached my music from an authentic place. My last project, Detrooklyn, was made to make the listener feel as if they grew with me so I didn't like the idea of going bold with a name that sounded so contrived. I decided to go with my real name opposed to the name a label tried to brand for me. The music was always progressive, with or without the name change I still think I would have developed to the artist I am today. Everything was a rebuilding process though, my mission was to keep everything as organic as possible and tell my story while maintaining the balance of song structure."

We asked if he had any regrets about how he started out, especially in regards to his name and musical style, to which he answered, "No regrets, I think I wouldn't have developed to where I'm at today without previous situations. It's all about growth and I believe everything happens for a reason."

We ranked Detrooklyn as the 9th hottest mixtape to drop this Summer, which was high praise considering some of the great projects that came out. It's production is top notch, handled primarily by NYLZ, a frequent collaborator or Amir Obe's. The music is highly instrument-driven, pianos painting an elaborate soundscape for Obe to weave his lyrics through. Conceptually, Detrooklyn was supposed to give listeners a taste of both Obe's hometown Detroit and his current stomping grounds in Brooklyn. While it does that, it also accomplished far more. The Brooklyn side of him uses clever metaphors and wordplay to tell his story, while his Detroit roots are unafraid to experiment, making every song sound different from anything else out there right now. He told us, "I'd say that being from Detroit allowed me understand the slower pace and music culture of the midwest -- Detroit is Motown. My producer NYLZ is also from Detroit so the production and content leans towards the Detroit influence. Brooklyn influenced the grittiness & storytelling I incorporated in most of the songs."

It's a refreshing sound that works just fine in headphones while you chill at home or blasting out the windows of your whip. We asked him about the production, and what he looks for when selecting songs to record and he explained, "I look for something that's inventive. I like making music that provides a feeling, when I connect with a beat the song is usually done the same night. I'm also very collaborative on the production of any song I make, we always build even after all the vocals are recorded."

On what Detrooklyn is to him, Obe said, "The inspiration behind it was placing the listener in the passenger seat. My goal was to make the listener feel as if they grew up with me, it was introspective but it would also allow the listener to be there at that moment with me. I also wanted to do more than just bridge the gap between both cities, I made Detrooklyn a real place. I've been back and forth so long that it no longer feels seperated, that was another goal of mine to bring the listener to Detrooklyn. I spent my growing years in Detroit and moved to Brooklyn when I was in my teens."

While making music under the name Phreshy Duzit, Obe was signed to a deal under Atlantic Records, but things soured quickly. According to him, Atlantic wanted him to look and sound a certain way, and wanted complete control over when and how he released his music. It isn't the first time we've heard complaints like this about Atlantic, as Lupe Fiasco also went through similar issues when Lasers was coming out. Amir told us, "The Atlantic situation was a learning experience. I appreciate everybody in there that I worked with and everything they provided to me. I had the option of staying but due to a conflict of interest & not finding a balance musically I asked to be released. It wasn't a good fit and I felt as if though I was losing momentum by having to adjust to being told when I could release music etc. We left on a positive note." You can hear him talk about some his frustrations in trying to impress labels on his standout track "Jay Z, Kanye, Esco".

Currently, he is completely independent, and judging by the music he's making on his own, we think he's doing just fine. When comparing life in the music industry as an independent to that of a signed artist, he said, "I'm independent at the moment. I've had a few majors reach out since the release of Detrooklyn and I continue to take meetings. It's all about finding a label that's excited to contribute and believe in your direction. I'd say independent life gives you the advantage of not being confined into release dates and you can discover your lane organically."

We don't want to rush Amir Obe, as Detrooklyn just dropped in July, but when you have an artist who clearly found their creative groove and is making such great music, it's hard not to want more. He told us, "I have a lot of new music to drop and will most likely be on tour in November. I also got a real special feature in the works." He said the new music will be found on a follow-up EP to Detrooklyn and will have multiple fire features as well.

When he told us about that, we asked if he meant to go full solo on his last project or if it just turned out that way. He explained, "There weren't any features. It was a very private process. I never wanted to confuse the message. The message was identity and I think I succeeded in proving I can hold my own through 14 eclectic songs." 

We agree.