Soundset Festival / Photo courtesy of Ashton Howard

St. Paul, Minnesota; Minneapolis, Minnesota. Otherwise known as The Twin Cities. Traditionally, the cities have been more known for it’s sports teams, Mall of America — which, wow! — and Prince — R.I.P. While all of those things still remain atop the Mount Rushmore of the Twin Cities, the 4th and final piece has undoubtedly become Rhymesayers Entertainment. The historic record label is based in Minny and is one of the most storied backpack labels of all time, boasting underground legends like Atmosphere, Brother Ali and more to their roster. Being one of the only record labels to be rooted in Hip-Hop throughout the whole state, the group felt a responsibility to bring together the budding scene under one roof. The answer? Soundset Festival, an annual music festival that not only places a focus on ALL five elements of Hip-Hop, but also attempts to blur the lines between “traditional Hip-Hop” and the new age crowd. This year’s 10th Anniversary was a special one, bringing out artists like Travis Scott, Talib Kweli, Gucci Mane, Lauryn Hill and more under one roof. Although there were some bumps, bruises and no-shows, the show still went on…. & excelled. For more on the history of how the legendary festival got its’ legs, check out our interview with co-founder, J-bird, here. Check out our recap of Hip-Hop’s premier festival below.

12:00 P.M.: Arriving to the festival was a bit overwhelming, to the say the least. I’ve covered many shows over the past year with some of the biggest artists, but they were nothing like this. The massive St. Paul fairgrounds was getting ready to house more than 75 thousand people and it sure did look like it. With road blocks surrounding the area, music heads of all ages — ranging on average from around 12-30 — donned in their favorite band shirts, crop tops and Timberwolves’ jerseys were free to walk among the streets as they pleased; with the line to get in wrapped around the block. It was nuts. I’m not too sure what Woodstock looked like back in the ’70s, but it couldn’t have been too far from this, but more on that later.

Oswin Benjamin / Photo courtesy of Maddie Uglum

1:00: Entering the festival was way easier than I thought. Granted, I did come in through V.I.P., but so did many festival goers, and despite the massive lines and crowds of people trying to bow their way in; we made in it fairly quickly.

Soundset: 1, anxiety: 0.

Upon entry, the setup was beautiful. Rhymesayers and crew managed to turn the massive fairgrounds into a music fan’s paradise. There were vendors selling merch, EVERYWHERE, & not just any merch. Do you guys remember when J. Cole showed up to one of his shows wearing a Viking, Purple Rain-themed football jersey after his death? Yeah, they had THAT for sale. Insta-cop — okay, it was $200, so I didn’t buy it, but don’t tell anybody else. At 1, there were already performers up and getting the party started. On one of the main stages, I immediately noticed Kool Keith RIPPING down the already packed out crowd. Performing as the alias, Dr. Octagon, the rhyme-veteran got things started and then some.

Mod Sun / Photo courtesy of Maddie Uglum

1:15: This is the time I was slated to interview Minnesota native Mod Sun. Now, before the festival, I was unfamiliar with the mid-west emcee. A quick google search though, showed me that I may have been among the few to have NOT heard of him. I won’t say too much about our interview as it’ll be publishing live this week. Just know this: you’ve never met, or conversed with anybody like Mod Sun. Yes, even your hippy grandpa who attended Woodstock — second Woodstock mention!! — is nothing like this man. I’ve never had a more open and honest conversation with an artist in my life. Also, he was high as hell, and he just seemed on cloud 9, literally and figuratively.

With this being his first performance at the historic festival coupled with him being a native, Mod gave the show of his life. Originally scheduled to perform on the Rhymesayers’ stage, which housed most of the middle-tier acts like Dave East, 070 Shake and Amine; Mod benefited from a sudden dropout from Lil’ Uzi Vert — sidenote, this is the only time I’m mentioning his absence in this whole article. We’re mad at you, Vert. — and was given the opportunity to perform on the big boy stage. & disappoint, he did not! The native showed out for his hometown fans, slashing through song after song with an incredible energy that the fans themselves attempted to replicate. To put it plain and simple, Mod might’ve been the second biggest winner of the day.

3:00 – 6:00: Throughout these two hours, many many things happened. With this being my first festival, the one thing I wanted to make sure to do was keep a tight schedule and see all of the artists that I wanted to see.

Yeah, what a noob mentality for me to have, because none of that happened.

Partly to blame on the sheer distance between the Rhymesayers’ stage and the two main stages — which is honestly my ONLY complaint of how the festival was organized — as well as artists showing up late; many set times were changed. This caused me to miss T.I. — who I was told brought out Tee Grizzly — Atmosphere, Ty Dolla $ign and D.R.A.M.’s sets completely, while missing most of Pusha T‘s, but still getting to experience the 4-headed-monster that was, “So Appalled“, “Runaway“, “New God Flow” and “Grindin’.”

Pusha T / Photo courtesy of Maddie Uglum

The reason for missing these sets?? I was with the kids, bro. *Kanye voice*. During this time, the Rhymesayers’ stage as well as the Essential Elements stage — dedicated to the other 4 elements of Hip-Hop besides rap — were POPPING. The Rhymesayers stage flexed their chops for a killer back-to-back-to-back-to-back line up that included; Talib Kweli, — shame on you Soundset, he should’ve been on the main stage over Brother Ali — Dave East, Amine and the resident Teen King, Playboi Carti — fight me, Yachty. While Kweli showcased why he was a legend, highlighted by his incredible breathing pattern that allowed him to give probably the best pure vocal performance I’ve seen from a rapper; the new kids on the block showed out. Dave East took the predominantly white crowd on a brief trip to Harlem, Amine let everybody know he was more than a one-hit-wonder, but it was Carti who was the man of the hour.

Playboi Carti / Photo courtesy of Ashton Howard

Thrown in as a late addition due to Mac Miller pulling out, Carti came out and went through a medley of hits that the crowd knew every single word to. In all honesty, the ATL native could’ve put the mic down and let his fans sing the whole set and I’m not sure they would’ve missed a beat — which is something he’s done before. But instead, Carti decided to show-off his vocal chops and rap without any help from the background track, which was highly impressive. Mod Sun may have the second biggest win of the day, but nobody impressed me more than Carti did. Give credit where it’s due, the boy can rap.

While the newbies were burning it down for the crowd at the other stage, the Essential Elements stage was getting loose. DJ, Astronautica got things started with an ultra-wavy mix of songs that left me constantly grabbing for my phone to ask Siri, “Who tf is this?” The last DJ to grasp my attention with such force, using mostly Electronic music was Kaytranada; and I’d like to go out on a limb and be the first person to label her as such. She was amazing.

After Astronautica, the attentions turned to Stretch & Bobbito, two of the more legendary attendees of the event that day. If you’re unfamiliar with the iconic radio-duo, stop reading this article now and do your homework. Anyways, streetball legend, Bobbito got it started–unleashing an arsenal of Afro-Cuban records that got the B-Boys/Girls going craaaaaaaaaaazy. Disclaimer: I’m from California, and I was born in 1995. I’ve never seen B-Boys get off authentically, and this was amazing. Their moves were so fluid and complimented each-other very well. The group played like puppets, while Stretch & Bob shared duties as Gepetto. If you’ve never seen B-Boys/Girls dance, or Stretch & Bob DJ a set, add both to your bucket list immediately.

Gucci Mane / Photo courtesy of Maddie Uglum

6:00-8:00: This is when things started to get interesting. With all due respect to hometown heros thestand4rd, who were without a doubt doing their thing closing out the Rhymesayers stage; it was Gucci time. As everybody made their way back to the main stage to see the first of three headliners, the anticipation was starting to build. The weather was also starting to change. What was once a beautiful sunny day, one that required me to take off my hoodie early into the event; had now turned into a potential dust storm. All of a sudden, the wind starting blowing more trees down than Redman, and the gloomy clouds began to overtake the once enticing sky.

Nevertheless, Gucci murked it. The rap veteran went through all of the classics highlighted by, “Lemonade“, “Wasted“, “Freaky Gurl“, and “Both.” Honestly, I was shocked at how many Gucci songs I knew word for word; and at this point I had started using my drink tickets. That’s just a more responsible way of saying I was on one. Laflare then closed his set out by bringing Travis, who had recently gotten to the festival, out to do their song, “Last Time.” To this point in the festival, this was the craziest track not named, “Magnoila.” The fans went bananas–singing every lyric bar for bar, and hymning every single Travvy melody like an auto-tuned blanket had just came over the entire audience.

*Sidenote, have you ever listened to the chorus of that song? Buck up, Scott. Gucci gets a pass since he’s been locked up, and yaknow… probation and all. But you, you should be able to handle your sh*t better.*

After Gucci burned it down, the stage was set for Miss Lauryn Hill to do her thing. Backed with a live band and no recorded music playing, Miss Lauryn displayed exactly why she’s been mentioned amongst not only the greatest female rappers of all-time, but emcees period. While Lauryn never missed a beat, I did feel like her band was lacking just a bit. There were certain points in the set where I had no idea what song was playing until the chorus came on, and I’ve bought Miseducation physically, three times. Despite that, I and everybody else in the crowd collectively sang our hearts out to classics like, “Lost Ones“, “Ready or Not“, and “Doo Wop (That Thing).” It was really a sight to see 75 — nah, it looked like easily over 100 — thousand people all belch out, “THAT THING, THAT THIIIIIIIIIIIING” all in unison. You won’t know what I mean ’till you see it for yourself.

Travis Scott / Photo courtesy of Maddie Uglum

8:00-9:30: It was time. This was what everybody in the humongous St. Paul fairground had come to see, Travis Scott. As great as the festival had been up to now, the whole thing felt like a warm up for The Rodeo. Other than you-know-who being a no-show, Travis was the most talked about person of the day, and he hadn’t even been visible.

“I heard Kylie was here, doesn’t he live with her now?”

“Is he gonna go for the record again? Man, I hope he does.”

“Dude, I saw the Bird!!!! I think he’s bringing out Brian McKnight or some shit.”

These were things that I heard in passing all day. Seriously, somebody thought he was bringing out McKnight. The crazy part? Nobody thought it was crazy.

While I was aware of certain things — the Bird was indeed in attendance, McKnight was not — there was still a mystique in the air; and now the gloomy sky had turned into a full blown rainstorm. It was incredible, man. It was almost as if Travis and his team had paid for the rain. The stage was set. Travis jumped on the mic:

“Are you motherfuckers ready?!?!?!?!?!!?!”

The 100+ — fuck it, I’m saying it — thousand people in the place all chanted out back at him, ready to rage. Then he let loose. I’ve personally never seen that many people in my life and they all knew his tracks word for word. Black people, white people, Hispanics, and Asians. Old-Heads, kids, hypebeasts and everybody else, it did not matter. I found myself at no less than 12 — I started counting at three — times saying quietly to myself, “This is the craziest shit that I’ve ever seen.”

Not like it mattered as I was in complete turn-up mode; but at this point, my phone was completely useless which meant any ability to take notes was gone with it. So I’m going off the top here, but I’m going to name off a list of bonafide BANGERS that Travis let off: “3500”, “Pick up The Phone“, “Biebs in The Trap“, “Antidote“, “Through The Late Night“, “Mamacita” (!!!!!!!!!!), “Quintana Pt. 2“, “Don’t Play” — which was a fun, but telling social experiment with the racially diverse crowd — “Way Back” and of course, “Goosebumps.”

Travis: “This is my last song. This is my favorite song on the album. (He said this four times.) I need for you motherfuckers to turn-up for this one. Are you ready????!!!!!”

The Crowd: “Oh my gosh, he’s gonna do it.” 

Me: “Holy shit, he’s gonna do it!”

Kylie Jenner: “Fuck, man. Not again.”

In total, Travis ended up playing the song six times. I won’t lie, before the festival I had told my friends that if Travis tried to break the record that I would run on stage and snuff him. After the third time running it back, that all went out the window. We all wanted him to go for the record. The Houston native had just given the performance of his life at Hip-Hop’s Coachella and personally, the best set I had ever seen live. *Kanye at the Yeezus Tour was the previous choice.* But nobody was mad at him for not doing it. The six times felt proper and he did what he had come to do. Which was tear the stage apart. May 29th, 2017 will forever go down as Memorial Day Eve, aka “The Night Travis Scott Lit Up Soundset.”

Check out our photos from the event, all of which are courtesy of Maddie Uglum unless otherwise noted.

The post RESPECT. Recap: Soundset Festival’s 10th Anniversary appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Oz was booked to do a show in Kansas, and had all of his plans set to rock the stage out of town, and prove his skills on the mic. He had already posted promotional tweets and pictures about the show, and people were excited about the moves that the New York kid was making. Three days before he and his boys were set to go on the road for the Kansas show, they decided to call the promoter for the show to ask for an official poster with Oz’s name on it, so that they could promote it on social media to the fans. They were greeted with a shocking response.

Oz had been taken off of the bill for the show. Most people would probably be devastated. And Oz was disappointed, but not in the same way as most people would be. He recalls being more upset at the fact that it was tarnishing his brand to be promoting false information to his fans. “Even down to the jerseys we wear. We do what we want to do because we like it, we are never trying to be something we’re not.” But then his positive outlook on life, which we talked about in parts 1 and 2 of our interview, shined through. He said, “I had a good feeling about it. I knew that something bigger was going to come out of it. It was too big of a thing to go wrong, for something bigger not to happen from it.” A day later, he got a call from one of the biggest hip-hop radio shows in the world, Sway in the Morning, asking if he could come down to the station, to fill in for a rapper who could not make it later that week. He was going to be on a show that would put him in front of a national audience. A show that he would not have been able to attend, had he been in Kansas.

“He told me he needed me to be there at 9:45am, I showed up at 9:00am.”

While writing down his visions earlier in the year, he wrote, “appear on Sway in the Morning” as one of his goals. All of his other goals were accomplished as a domino effect of this one moment. After talking about the Sway experience, I asked him about the MJ jersey that you can spot him wearing in his twitter picture, and on his Instagram (@OswinBmusic).

If you haven’t checked out part 1, or part 2 of this interview yet, then I suggest you go back and read those. Then come back here!

RESPECT.: You’re from New York, but you still rep that Chicago Bulls Jordan jersey. How important is Michael Jordan to you? Are you just a fan of greatness?
Oz: Man, whether it’s rap or basketball, whether you’re from New York or not, you know that Michael Jordan is from New York, and you know that Jay Z is from New York. You can’t be there and not make reference to the two greatest in their given areas or fields. The greatest basketball player ever is Michael Jordan, and the greatest rapper ever is Jay Z, in my opinion. So you can’t be from New York and not pay homage to, or use them kind of as a blueprint for where you want to be. It’s not just rap or basketball, it’s greatness. That’s what everyone should strive for, to be the greatest at whatever they do.

RESPECT.: Yeah I agree. Why else are you doing it, if you’re not trying to be the greatest?
Oz: Yeah, if you’re not trying to be the greatest and have the greatest impact on the world. Because I feel like the greatest is subjective. I feel like that whole Nas and Jay Z conversation, it changes all the time, but it’s like, who had the greatest impact? I feel like who had the greatest impact should be more important than being the greatest person, or the greatest rapper, or basketball player. I want to have the greatest impact on the world.

RESPECT.: I think that’s what gets lost. For the people who are making music just to make it, or to make money, or to get a deal, they forget what’s important. I think you should want to change lives, and that should be your greatest goal.
Oz: Exactly man. That’s the whole point. If you’re not changing lives, if you’re not opening minds, if you’re not allowing people to succeed in a different way, then what are you doing? You’re just taking up space.

RESPECT.: Yeah exactly. You speak a lot on the soul. I study philosophy in school, and Aristotle talks a lot about the soul too. I was curious how your fascination with it came to be, and what you view the soul to be?
Oz: I talk a lot about the soul, and it’s kind of like, me talking about where I want to be. I never want to be labeled as a conscious dude, I just want to be labeled as a human being. I was just in a relationship, and I had to leave it because of the music. I didn’t know if there were going to be other women, and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to be faithful, but I want to be as perfect as I can. When I talk about the soul it’s like, even though I have these issues, I want to be as perfect as I can as an individual. I want to reach that point as a person, where certain things don’t matter anymore. I heard of a theory, I don’t know if you know, I think it’s from Plato’s the Republic, and it’s talking about the gold soul, the silver soul, and the bronze soul. You were born into certain types of souls based on what your family did. But it’s interesting if you were born into a certain type of family, but you had the gift of music, then you could propel to a gold soul. You don’t have to stay a bronze soul at the end of the day because it was all about location. So when I talk about the soul, it’s like, just because you started off as a bronze soul, doesn’t mean that’s where you have to end. Just because you started off here, as a drug dealer, or as the ugly dude with low self-esteem, aka the bronze soul, or the majority of society, that doesn’t mean that whatever gifts you have or whatever you feel in your mind, your thoughts, your emotions, that those can’t transpire into something higher than where you already are. So, just taking that whole concept, and just trying to apply it to everything you do. Just the whole soul thing I feel like, is just staying true to who you are. Humanism is my main thing. Yes I’m spiritual, and yes I love God, but I also love bitches with fat asses (laughs).

RESPECT.: Yeah man, you’re human! (more laughs).
Oz: Exactly! And I feel like, when I talk about the soul, that’s what it is. Don’t ever try to be something that you’re not. “What’s good with your soul, what’s good with your spirit?” is just like, who got more soul than me? I am one hundred percent comfortable with who I am. The same Oz that fucked the wrong joint and got clamidia, is the same Oz that will sit in front of you and tell you that God is good, and that I’m gonna be alright. At the end of the day I’mma be what I’m telling you. I may not be the go to guy, for everything that’s benevolent and good, BUT I know where I want to be. So when I talk about the soul, this is my journey, this is my path. And no I don’t have it all together, no it don’t make me a Christian rapper; I am a human being. I’m trying to find my way like everybody else. I’m trying to find my way out of this bronze soul that I was born into, into somewhere higher than that.

RESPECT.: Beautiful. It’s like the most perfect version of yourself right?
Oz: Yeah, exactly.

Then we talked a bit more about Philosophy and had a good wrap up of our conversation. Finally, he ended off by telling me a couple of funny stories. He told me how he rapped for Kendrick Lamar in the Apple Store during a Q & A session. After the host told him that he couldn’t rap, Kendrick said alright (no pun intended), and Kendrick told him that he felt it. He asked him what his name was, and said that he would remember it. “Not too many people say that they rapped for Kendrick, and not too many people can say that he felt it.”

He also did the same thing for Ab-Soul at a CRWN, hosted by Elliot Wilson. He asked the same question, and was denied by the host once again. Ab-Soul, again, said, “sure rap.” Ab told Oswin that he was dope and had a really soulful vibe. Not many people can say that they’ve rapped for 2/4 of the original TDE members, and that they both liked it. You can actually hear the verse that he spit to Ab-Soul at the end of his Dear Summer rendition on his mixtape, which released to the world on Wednesday, and you can check it out in part 2 of this interview here.
Thank you for reading this, and for listening to Oswin Benjamin. We both appreciate you.

The post RESPECT. INTERVIEW: Oswin Benjamin on the soul (PART 3/3) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

RESPECT.: You talk a lot about God and spirituality in your music. Was that always a part of your life? Did you always feel like you were meant to be an artist, like God gave you these gifts, so this is you are supposed to be doing? I guess, how do you see music in terms of your religious beliefs?
Oz: When I was growing up, my mom always told me, “if you’re put in a position to speak, just make sure that it’s from a genuine place. You may be the only little glimpse of God that anybody is able to see.” So I kind of feel obligated. I heavily believe that this is a purpose of mine. This is bigger than music. This is bigger than making words rhyme. If I’m in the position to spread any type of light or benevolence to anybody’s situation, and I’m in a position where anybody is listening to me, then I’ve gotta use these abilities, for what I feel like is best. A lot of people get caught up in a certain type of situation, where they’re like “I’m this or I’m that”. And you need a certain type of arrogance for rap, just cause it is the nature. But there are a lot of lost people who are so stuck in their situation that they are unable to see anything other than that. So I feel like, if I’m put in the position where people are listening, then I’ve gotta let em’ know that it’s not anything that I’m doing. It’s something that God is doing.

RESPECT.: Have people come up to you and told you that they have heard your story and they related to it, or that they heard your song and it saved them? If so, does that motivate you to tell yourself “okay, I can’t stop”?
Oz: Definitely. It’s so crazy how God works. And every time I feel like “what am I doing this for?”, literally every time. This has probably happened about 6 times over the past 6 years, and every time I feel “I’m still broke” or “what the fuck am I doing?”, and I feel like giving up, I get a message from someone in Africa (or somewhere else) who will tell me, “yo, I listened to your music. You gotta keep doing what you’re doing because you’re motivating people to be themselves, and do what they like to do, and not do what everybody else is doing.” So every time I feel like giving up, I get a message, or I get a phone call or something to let me know like “yo keep going.” That’s probably one of the greatest feelings ever.

RESPECT.: I think that’s the thing. Even if you’re affecting one person, or you saved someone with your words, you were put on this earth for a purpose. And no one can take that away from you.
You mentioned it for a second earlier, but drug culture is huge in hip-hop these days, especially with Future and lean, but you don’t really talk about drugs much. You actually have the line “Peter Parker just shut down the web without Marry Jane”, does that mean that you don’t smoke weed?
Oz: Growing up I never smoked weed. It was never a big thing. But then I moved to the city and I’m like “you know what, I’m the type of person where I need to experience it and I need to live it so I know whether I fuck with it or not”. So I’m seeing everybody smoking, and they’re all happy all the time. So I don’t know if I don’t like this cause I don’t like this, or cause I’m programmed not to like it. But I was like let me try it for myself. So I smoked weed probably around 6 times in my life. And 2 out of those 6 times, I had the worst experience of my life (laughs).

He talked about those bad experiences and mentioned wanting to jump in front of a car, and wanting to slap the shit out of his friend while on his bad trips. After his friend told him that he would just have to get used to the feeling of being high, he said, “no I don’t want to get used to this feeling.” I told him that I felt the same way and never really felt the need to try smoking weed, but only did because I wanted to know for myself.

RESPECT.: Yeah, I think it’s cool because you just wanted to experience things for yourself. I think that’s the problem with today’s culture though. People do things because they think they should be doing them. Were you always the type of guy who wasn’t into what your friends were? Did you always feel that comfortable with yourself, or how did that come about?
Oz: I was always the type of person that just did what I want, and I always got teased for it. I didn’t lose my virginity until I was 17, and my friends would be like “yo why aren’t you getting no ass?” and I just told them “it’s just cause I’m not getting any ass.” (laughs). But I was never the type of dude that was like “they’re making fun of me so I’ve gotta do this.” Stuff like that never phased me growing up, because I know that I feel how I feel, and if you don’t feel like that too, then you don’t feel like that. But I never felt peer pressured to do what they were doing. I think that I learned how to be an individual early on, and the easiest way is to just be yourself. I felt like I was put here to be an individual and to show people how easy it is to be yourself. I never followed what people were doing, I always felt like that was super corny.

RESPECT.: I think that the only leaders who we follow are the people who are themselves. Even in music, people always try to hop on the trends, but they are just trying to perfect someone else’s craft. Then someone else comes along and creates something new, and those are the people that stick. I think that is what connected me to your music. In this era of everyone trying to be the same, it feels like your music is just you. Do you feel like your music is a reflection of who you are?
Oz: Yeah, I feel like it’s a reflection of me and the people around me who can attest to it. The people that live the specific situation that I talk about in a record, I love to play it for them and have them be like “yo I remember that. He’s not lying. I was there for this. I remember when she said you were ugly!” (laughs). But I’ve learned too, especially in New York where everybody is trying to rap, I see people at these shows trying to do what everyone else does, trying to give the hood what they want. But they (the hood) don’t know what they want. They just want you to be you. People are so scared of themselves. And like you said, the people who are setting the trends are the people who are just being themselves. There will never be another Jay-Z.

We talked about how Jay-Z, Drake, and Kanye were all hated and ridiculed for being themselves, but they stuck with it and became idols in the game. We discussed how when you start conforming, you lose who you actually are, and that is never the way to connect with the masses.

RESPECT.: Speaking of the friends who you said you play a lot of your shit for, when you have the line “I don’t deal with people in between”, are you referring to any of the people around you? It seems like anytime that someone experiences some success, there are the people around them that try to bring them down, and sometimes those are friends. Have you experienced any of that with your growing success?
Oz: You know what, I’ve never experienced that because I am surrounded by a lot of selfless people who want to help in any way that they can. Anything that they can give to propel the brand, or even me, they are with it. My manager Tyler quit his job right after I got fired from mine. He was supposed to be a teacher, but he turned down a teaching position so that he could work in a stock room with me to work on music.

He told me that all of the employees and management at his former job were behind him. They all believed in the vision so much that he would record in the break room while everyone else ate in the food court. He recorded his entire second mixtape in that break room. The manager put up a sign that said “Do not disturb, Oz is recording.” And everyone respected that. Needless to say, he has a positive circle around him.

While you read the rest of the interview, check out Oswin’s new mixtape below. Let him know what you think @OswinBmusic

I asked him about his best friend and manager and how they turned this music thing into a business relationship. He walked me through a story that was straight from a movie scene. There were beats being made by banging on the lunch room table. Oz was getting made fun of by some dude. The guy was spitting some bars as a joke at him, and after some encouragement from his boys, Oz had an out of body experience where he freestyled for two minutes straight, and roasted the guy who was making fun of him in the first place. After that, he met his now manager, and the rest is history. Next I asked him about some more of his lyrics.

RESPECT.: You had the line “you’ll never fly if you never jump out the nest.” Do you place an importance on taking risks and going outside of your comfort zone?
Oz: Man, I feel like that’s the only way you get stuff. Even with the whole homeless situation. Me and my manager, we are homeless right now. Certain risks, need to be taken. I’m a firm believer that if you have a plan A, and you’ve spoken to God, and God’s solidified that plan in your heart, then you’ve gotta take any step to make that happen. I’ve lost relationships, I’ve cut off family members, to get this done. Because not everyone has this vision that I have. So I’m a firm believer in taking risks. There were days where I didn’t pay rent, because the unemployment money was used for a show, or for studio time. I’m telling people this is my plan A, and if I believe in what I want to do, then I need to act on it.

RESPECT.: Did you ever have a plan B?
Oz: Nah. I did for a short amount of time, but I realized how miserable I was. There are certain people who are meant to sit behind a desk, and have a family, and have a salary, and they’re happy with that. I tried that. It’s crazy because I was living with my girlfriend at the time, and she would cook every day when I would get home from work, and my clothes were always clean, and the bed was always made. Everything was amazing. But it wasn’t. Because I felt like something was missing. I wasn’t at the studio. I was working 9-5, getting paid decent, the bills were paid on time and I still had enough money to do whatever else I wanted to do. But I wasn’t doing music, and that’s always been my thing.

RESPECT.: Yeah man. I think you can work all day to try and get through the day, but then you’re not enjoying your day. It seems like you were just trying to get through the day, and you were just so tired that you couldn’t even make music; the one thing that you loved to do.
Oz: Yeah. Every job I ever got hired at, I got fired from. And it was because of the music. I would just be in the bathroom writing music. And it got to the point where managers would know, if I’m missing for more than 30 or 40 minutes, then I’m just in the bathroom writing a verse. This is it. There is nothing else for me. I can’t work a 9-5. I’m putting my faith into this and it’s going to work out.

RESPECT.: I respect that, and you have to. Are you big into the law of attraction and speaking things into existence?
Oz: I just got big into writing my visions down. I just got into that recently, this year. One of my goals was to double my plays on soundcloud, another one was to get $1500 off of music, another was to get on Sway, and the last one was to get on Hot 97. And all of those things happened within the last three months.

In the final part of the interview, we talk about his spontaneous appearance on Sway in the Morning, and wrap up our conversation by hearing his thoughts on the soul Thanks for reading. Check out Oswin’s appearance and interview on Sway below.

The post RESPECT. INTERVIEW: OSWIN BENJAMIN – ON THE SOUL PART 2/3 AND MIXTAPE RELEASE appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The artists who have made the greatest impact and have maintained their longevity over the past decade in music have been those who have not been afraid to completely be themselves one hundred percent. From Jay Z and Kanye, to Cudi and Drake, the people who have been confident in their identity and who they are as people, regardless of how some may have judged them at first, have captured the hearts and ears of their listeners. In the internet-age where everyone is so quick to jump on trends (see autotune or the “Versace” flow), being true to yourself seems to be the best possible thing an artist can do to stand out, and relate to listeners. Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with an artist who has the rare trait of being completely comfortable in his own skin and his place in music. His name is Oswin Benjamin.

Oswin Benjamin (Oz, as his friends call him) is a rapper, singer, songwriter, and artist out of New York who is looking to change people’s lives through his music. After speaking with him for over an hour about life, music, philosophy, his story, the soul, and everything in between, I can say with confidence that he will be making an impact in a lot of lives with his words and through his music. Considering how comfortable he is with himself and how genuine he is within his music, Oz will be able to capture the ears of the masses sooner than later. That is exactly what drew me to him. Due to the honesty in his music, you can relate to his vulnerability, even if your story is not exactly the same. Not to mention, this kid’s got bars. This interview is a great introduction to who he is as a person and musician if you are unfamiliar. If you have heard his music and are already a fan, then hopefully you will get a better look into his soul. Here is part 1 of my interview with Oz:

RESPECT.: What’s going on in your day-to-day life right now?
OB: Right now there’s a lot going on. I’m just trying to find inspiration. My unemployment is about to run out in a couple of weeks, and I am not trying to go back to a 9-5. So, I’m just trying to figure out how to make bread off of this music. Or even just to get to a place where the notoriety is elevating.

RESPECT.: Your music is really personal. Was that a conscious decision? Do you find inspiration in your everyday life?
OB: It’s difficult for me to write outside of what either I have been through or what somebody that I know has been through. I don’t have any songs about pulling up in a Ferrari or spending a thousand dollars at a strip club because I don’t do that. I can’t touch on those things because I have never lived it. People have different ways of letting off their steam; some people smoke, some people play basketball. Me? I write about them. That’s my way of coping. When something happens, I write about it.

RESPECT.: Was it always writing raps that was your outlet to express yourself and cope or was there another outlet when you were younger?
OB: Rap happened recently. It used to be basketball. I’ve been singing my whole life though. I grew up in a church. From the age of five, I was singing in church. Everyone thought I was going to be a gospel singer, but it wasn’t until college that I started taking rap seriously.

[RESPECT. Note: We talked a little bit about his beginnings in the church and he told me that music had always been a part of his family. Everyone thought he was going to be a gospel singer when he was younger, and he even formed a gospel group with his brother at that time. Recently, he started using his vocal chords again to sing over some of his tracks. He said that it just happened one day in the shower. He started singing and it sounded good, so he called his brother and told him “I think I can sing!” Next I asked him about some of his song lyrics.]

RESPECT.: On your song “Never Settle,” you mention your mom telling you to “never despise a humble beginning.” How important is the process for you? Have you always appreciated the journey and the struggle or were you more focused on the destination?
OB: I’m a fan of the struggle. I feel like that’s what makes you, and it puts you in a position where you have no choice, but to learn about yourself. I’ve been through a lot, and if it wasn’t for the struggle, then I wouldn’t be able to appreciate where I’m at. The process is cool because it’s an amazing thing to witness the accolades change and how you grow. That’s where most of my motivation comes from. I wouldn’t even be an artist if it weren’t for the struggle. I sort of welcome it now, because when shit goes wrong, it’s like, okay I’ve got another song.

RESPECT.: I think that people are so quick to dismiss the struggle when things are going wrong and tell themselves, “Ah, maybe this will never happen. Maybe it’s not supposed to happen for me,” but I think that it’s all just a part of the journey…Once you start to embrace, and accept it, that’s when you start to see things in a new light.
OB: Yeah man, it’s all perspective. Me and my manager Tyler have been homeless before and we have had to sleep in the studio for days or find somebody’s couch to sleep on. Not take any showers or anything; not brush our teeth or nothing. We’ve been through all of that and as time progressed, we have learned how to see things for what it is. You only get as far as your mind allows you to get. So, if you focus on the negative and always look at things in a negative light, then you’re always gonna be that dude. Okay, so I lost a crib, but now I don’t have to worry about paying this bill and I can create. I can see the world for what it is. I am learning how to see the blessings in everything as opposed to how horrible life is because I don’t want to be that negative dude.

RESPECT.: Yeah, I can tell from your music that you’re a positive dude. After going through all of that, do you feel blessed to even be breathing? And even more blessed for thousands of people to be hearing your music? Do you appreciate everything a lot more now because of it?
OB: It’s weird to sit back and look at it ’cause I’m not even supposed to be here. So, every blessing that comes, I know that it is not because of me. I put the work in, but I pray before I do anything. I pray before anytime I hit the stage. It’s God. I tell him, “I just want people to see you through the music, cause I’m nothing but a man with a bunch of gifts that you gave me. So, if they can’t see you through it, then what am I doing it for?” I’m at a place where I recognize that it’s not just talent, it’s not just hard work. If God don’t want certain doors to open for you, then no matter how hard you try to walk through that door, if it’s just not meant for you, then it’s not going to open. I’m blessed for all opportunities. Because I know that it’s just not me, it’s something bigger than me.

We continued to talk about God, spirituality, his recent appearance on Sway in the Morning, and how he hopes to impact the world with his words. Part two of this interview will be up tomorrow right here on RESPECT. Magazine.

The post RESPECT. INTERVIEW: OSWIN BENJAMIN ON THE SOUL – PART 1/3 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.