Odd Mojo on Experiencing God and Manifesting Her Latest Album
NUNAR front cover star Odd Mojo photographed by Larry Lewis; Creative direction by Tiimy Reid, Styling by Cliff Adams; MUA Kayla Johnson
NUNAR’s JAN 2024 Nu Era Issue print is now available.
Walking into the vestibule of The Village DC, I prepared to meet Odd Mojo, the rap phenom from Prince George’s County with an undeniable presence in the DMV underground. Having the interview’s location at the Village DC, a widely-known cafe and third space for artists from across the metro area, where I initially encountered Mojo at a 20NVR concert in 2020, felt like a full-circle moment in my coverage of the music scene. Some individuals in this scene produce artistic expressions that leave an indelible mark of star quality, while others carry an underground vibe, no shade.
When I think of Odd Mojo, I also recall artists like Rico Nasty, Deetranada, Miss Kam, O-Slice, and Kelow Latesha. The 29-year-old rapper has been a fixture of the scene for several years, gracing the stages of acclaimed live music locations including Songbyrd DC, the Lincoln Theater, and the Kennedy Center. Her musical collaborations have often featured other prominent DMV artists including Alex Vaughn, John Tyler, Ayotemi, and most recently on her latest album RillyRil, Kelow Latesha, and AnkhleJohn.
Her music talks about the struggle of being, sometimes offering a social commentary and other times taking a profoundly vulnerable plunge into her psyche. Something Odd Is Coming was released on October 31, 2022, during the ongoing pandemic and amidst socially regressive and distant times. Music videos for the songs “555”, “Action”, “Dreamin Fiennin”, and “Space” have since been released. The project channels through introspections about love drama, existentialism, social unrest, the pandemic, aliens, solitude, and consciousness. It’s a lyrical palate that appeals to our common struggles as well as the esoteric things we all wonder about and sometimes experience but may be too taboo to discuss openly.
Odd Mojo’s name, look, and persona draw you in and stand her out of the crowd as someone whose artistry is not easy to forget. But beneath the alter ego lies an earnest complexity and transcendence shaped by the challenges she has faced in life. My conversation with Odd Mojo, as follows, proved to be as artistically stimulating for me as it was emotionally compelling. As I listened to Mojo's account of the creative process of her latest album and the significant breakthroughs she experienced along the way, I found myself engrossed in the dialogue and in the end, moved and inspired.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Damon Barnes: Cool, alright. My first question is, who's Odd Mojo and where do they come from? Or where does she come from?
Odd Mojo: So Odd Mojo is more of a feeling, just a way of being. And I feel like Odd Mojo came from a place where I decided to, you know, just open up and just be free. I feel like I'm kind of awkward. I have insecurities, but when I tap into the odd mojo, I feel free. I feel like I can do anything. I feel creative and I feel like we're all Odd Mojos. We all have an odd mojo to us. I don't necessarily think it's a name. It's more so a feeling, but I do consider it as my stage name. But it definitely came from a dark place. After I graduated high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was in college, I didn't know what I really wanted to tap into. So I feel like that feeling, that odd mojo feeling came when I started playing around listening to YouTube Beats [laugh]. And it just happened. I just felt creative with that odd mojo.
DB: I love that. That's really intriguing. So, you know, when I was just getting a vibe for the album and listening to it, and then I look at the album title and I was like, this title could really define or be a title for this decade, or even the century. And so, you know, even with the references you were making, it was about the times we're living in. So I wanted to ask, what was your thought process behind the album title?
OM: Yes, the times that we're living in now definitely inspired the album title. Um, the pandemic, you know, coming through COVID experiencing the virus itself within me. I definitely had COVID like twice. It fucking sucked. I'm sorry. Can we curse?
DB: No. JK you’re fine.
OM: [Laugh] But yeah, that's it. It definitely came from the pandemic and just being in solitude and feeling like the world was just so silent. So I'm like, uh huh, something is coming, something is coming. But, you know, I definitely had to add that twist, that mojo feeling. Like I felt like, okay, maybe it's time for me to speak. Something odd is coming.
But there's really a story to it. I don't know if you felt that by listening to it, but within the story, it's about me taking a solitude retreat. In the woods by myself. I had this vision as I was in the pandemic, just in my room listening to beats–shout out to John Tyler and 7G. Um, but once I started listening to the beats, the title came to me with the emotions that I was experiencing. And I just came up with a story of like, yo, what if I took a solitude retreat during this madness? I felt like I would become abducted. Like, something odd is coming. I felt like aliens were about to come and just take over the world. It was just too quiet.
DB: I think that sort of leads into the next question of what was your creative process of creating the album?
OM: The creative process with creating this album was really… I felt like it just came to me. Before the pandemic, I linked up with John Tyler and 7G and we made the song “Kale”. And ever since that, our bond was just strong. We're like, yo, we gotta link up some more. So I linked up with them again and they, you know, gave me a pack of beats and stuff to work on and that's when the shutdown happened. So I was just home listening to their beats, just letting my emotions speak to me. Using the music as a therapeutic tool. And, um, it was intense.
Like it was, it was an intense process, but, you know, it definitely came out beautiful. You know, man, I started writing the project in 2020 and in 2021 we decided to put it out. But then, I didn't really have the funds like that because of the pandemic. Like, it really messed up a lot of money moves that I had. So we had to say, “You know what, let's stop”. And then–shout out to John Tyler and 7G–they got me hip to these grants and they told me to apply. You know, I pay people for their services. So they charged me for the beats. And they gave me a tip. Like, “Hey, I know you feel like you can't afford it and we can do payment plans, but there are grants out here.”
So I applied and I won. I won a grant and it was crazy. I used that money to fund the project, so it made me more comfortable in 2022, I was just waiting for the grant to come and kick in. And I used that money to fund everything, like the production, the rest of the studio process. So, you know, that experience and that process was long ‘cause I thought it was gonna come out in 2021. But, you know, I had to just say, you know what, don't rush it. Take a step back, you know, and look what happened. A whole grant.
DB: That's amazing.
OM: So yeah, it was, it was a tough process, but we made it, you know, it was cool.
DB: Wow. Wow. I had no idea, but let me say, John is really helpful, you know?
OM: Yes, he is.
DB: I'm sure he helped you, like really find that.
OM: Yes, he did.
DB: Mm-hmm. That's amazing. So sort of leaning into the collaborations, how did you bring people onto your project? And was there a selection process and how was that?
OM: Oh my gosh, yes. There was a selection process with the features. Um, so I wrote the songs out first, and then like, I literally did a manifestation thing. I was like, yo, I want AnkhleJohn on this. Like, literally when I heard the beat “Action”, I was in my basement with Dejuan Crooks, and we were just going through beats–like we're actually friends. And this was during the pandemic. He came over my house. We were like, you good? You tested, you good? [laugh] So we were just sitting in the basement listening to music and he played that beat. I was like, hold on, stop that one. I need that. And he's like, okay, I'm gonna send it to you. I'm like, nah, I'm serious, I wanna pay you. I want this, I really want this. And I want Ankhle John on.
He's like, whoa, wait a minute. How you gonna get this? And I'm like, I'm gonna get it. I'm gonna manifest it. And then like, I went to the studio like probably months later, and I linked up with Samwyse. He was engineering me at the time. And we were listening, we were recording Action. And then I got on Instagram Live. Literally right before I got on Instagram Live, I was like, Sam, I really wanna get AnkhleJohn on this. He's like, “Man, just keep talking about it. Manifest it.” I literally got on Instagram Live and he was the first person that got on my live.
DB: Whoa.
OM: I swear on everything. I'm like, yo, John, I need you on this song, bro. I literally was just talking about you, bro. And he was just like, word, DM me. And I'm like, yo, what? So I DMed him [laugh]. I was like, here's the beat [laugh]. And then, you know, he went through the process, told me his feature price. And I was like, okay, we can do this. Just bear with me, gimme some time. And he was very patient. He gave me time. He didn't forget about me.
When I finally got everything situated, I was like, yo, um, let's meet up. We were trying to go to an actual studio, but it didn't work out. But he said, you know, I'm down to come to your house. I'm like, oh, okay. Yeah, that's dope. So, he came to my house and he recorded Action. Dejuan was there, Dejuan tracked him out, and it was just so dope. It was really cool. He wrote it right on the spot. Yeah. It was so cool.
And I've been recorded my verse, but we couldn't pull up the stems. The stems situation is ridiculous. So every artist out there, just be careful and make sure you lock in and get your stems because you do not wanna lose that stuff. But yeah, so it was just really cool because when he was there, I felt his energy. And when it was time for me to record my verse, we couldn't find my stems to my vocals. So Dejuan was just like, “You got to record that over.” And I'm like, bro, I can't record this over. And then Dejuan was like, you gotta do it. And then AnkhleJohn was there, like… so I was just like, all right. And I just used their energy and I just did it.
I feel like my ancestors were really speaking through me. Like, it was urgent to get these messages out there.
And then, oh my God. I'm so happy that we're talking about this because the Kelo Latesha story was so beautiful. Like how it all came together. Yo, so Kelo–shout out to Kelo. Her family has their own store. And they sell like all like vegan stuff, like good stuff. It's called Brown’s Market on Silver Hill Road in District Heights, Maryland, Kelo's family owns that store. And my friend Chanel, she goes there all the time to get all her good stuff. And Chanel always told me like, “I see Kelo Latesha there all the time, like working at the cash register.” I'm like, that's so cool. I need to go in there. I've never been.
So one night right before the project was about to come out, I literally wrote Kelo's name down. I was like, I want Kelo on this song. I want her on “Glaciers”. It was just me and Fayson–Fayson is a very dope artist too. He's actually my partner. So like, we make so much music together. Anyway, he was on the song, originally, it was just me and him. But I did open up and I told him that I really want to work to get Kelo on it. And I just kept manifesting it. Like every time I wrote down a tracklist, I'll write Kelo's name on there. And I did reach out to her, but she never responded back via email.
So then I'm riding around with my friend Chanel. She wanted me to take her to the liquor store, get some little drinkie drinks, and we driving through like the little district height shopping center and we drive past the shop, the Browns Market shop. Chanel's like, “Yo, I just seen Kelo.” I literally swerve, I swerved so fast in that parking lot. And I said, yo, Chanel, do you mind if I go in there and try to talk to her real quick?
She was like, do your thing, do your thing. I hopped out the freaking car, knocked on the door and [Kelo] was looking at me like: yeah, what's good? And I'm like, yo Kelo, it's me, it's Mojo [laugh]. She was like, "Oh, Mojo!" She was really nice. At first, she was like, who was that? But then she said, “Oh, what's up? Come in, come in.” I'm like, yo, what's up man? I've been meaning to come past to see you at your shop. Like, this is really dope. Like, wow, you know, what's going on? How are you? She said, “I'm good.” Cause she had just dropped her project Turbo. And I was like, yo, congratulations on the release. And, um, yeah, we were just talking about that.
And she's like, “So what's up?” I'm like, yo, I really want you on this song, bro. It would really mean a lot. Like, I'll pay you. Like, she was like, “Yo, when? Let's do it. I'm with it.” And I'm like, what? She's like, “You got the song with you right now? Can you play it in my car?” I'm like, yeah. And then she's like, “Okay, let's get it.” She left the store, locked it up, went into her car, told me, “Get in.” I'm like, yo, Chanel, hold on. Lemme just take two minutes to just play the song for her. We started just talking about something spiritual before we played it. And then she's like, “Yo, play the song.” I play the song. She was like, when can we record it? I'm like, probably now, tomorrow, I don't know, whenever you free! She like, “Well it gotta be tomorrow because I'm about to do a run for my project. So it gotta be tomorrow.” I'm like, it's tomorrow then. It's tomorrow! I'm gonna make it happen.
Like, I've been manifesting this. And she was like, “Okay, cool. I'm proud of you. Like, let's do it.” And she came over my house. The next day Dejuan, shout out to Dejuan Crooks, he engineered the session. And, um, it was really a dream come true. I was literally just, I was going to record her, but I didn't wanna mess up the groove. I was just like, yeah, yo, this is beautiful. Thank you so much. And she was really cool. Like, like she's so like girly and fun. Like, I wasn't–I don't know–I wasn't expecting her to be so like, open and she's just really a nice person. It was really cool. And the other feature, Rilly Ril, she's from New York.
Um, we met through another artist and since that, she's been like messing with my sound, like anything I do. So she had a showcase in 2020 and she asked me to come out and, you know, get me on a show and I did. And we hit it off there. It was really cool. And, afterward, I was like, yo, like we, we gotta get a song. Like for real. She's like, “Say less.” And I put it together and I got her out here, you know, paid for a Mega bus, got a studio session, and we rocked out. Like, I worked with everybody on this project in person. Wow. And that really means a lot to me. I love to work in person. So it was really nice. [laugh].
DB: Wow. That is like, talk about alignment. Like.
OM: Oh God, that was so crazy. I literally swerved so hard when she said “I seen Kelo”. What? Where is she?
DB: Wow. Like, that really fell all into place. It just seemed like God had it in it for you.
OM: That’s what I'm saying. That's why I'm like, yo, I feel like this project was bigger than me.
DB: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
OM: I feel like my ancestors were really speaking through me. Like, it was urgent to get these messages out there. So yes, all I did was just perform it [laugh].
DB: Wow. That was really interesting to hear. Thank you for sharing. I wanted to also ask, how did making this album challenge your comfort zone? Or did it?
OM: It did, it did challenge my comfort zone. Um, maybe in a way of like, just continuing on speaking my truth and speaking about things that I experienced as far as like, in the song “Inception”, how I'm like, you know, people manipulating me, gaslighting me. Like just, you know, just not holding that in. And I feel like, I think before the pandemic I was kind of getting into a space of like, maybe I should just be silent. And I felt like I suppressed a lot of things. So I just felt like, you know, I need to get out my comfort zone. And the pandemic really made me get out my comfort zone. Like within the album, if you listen to it, it's different sounds, just working with different beats. I challenged myself and I told 7G and John Tyler that I wanna make different sounds. I don't want people to expect a boom bat full album.
Like, I wanna do some different things and I want you all to tell me. Like, I was open for people to help me write hooks. Um, Dejuan helped me out with the hook on “Action”–that's outta my comfort zone. Normally, you know, I'm writing my own. But with Action, I definitely was like, yo, what do you see? Like, should we dumb it down a little bit? I forgot how it originally was, but he was like, just say 'It's me versus me'. And I was like, okay. So I was open to that. Um, and just being patient, I feel like I'm very much an anxious person. So just trying to practice patience was out of my comfort zone because I'm always like, no, today now, now, now. Yeah. But it's like, you know, waiting for that project to come out in 2022 instead of 2021. You know, I had to really say stop, like, just be patient. Things will come when they come, you know? And that really made me feel like, oh, I'm growing. Cuz I'm being patient with this. I'm not feeling like I have to rush it. You know, I didn't rush this. This was a long time in the making.
DB: Yeah. You know, your style, your flow is so singular. It's, you know, it's odd. In its own way. How did you find it?
OM: Hmm. I found the sound through other artists, like my favorite artists that I listen to. Um, you know, listening to Tyler, the Creator, he really inspired me a lot. A lot. Like that's another topic on how I got the name Odd Mojo. Odd Future, Odd Mojo. Um, Mojo came from me being obsessed with the Jonas Brothers [laugh]. So my Facebook name is Mahogany Jonas–my real name is Mahogany–and Jonas is not my last name, but my cousin, she seen it and was like, that's not your last name. But she's like, I'm gonna call you Mojo, you know, Mahogany Jonas. Mojo. So I just put Odd and Mojo together. But, Tyler, The Creator, he helped me find my sound by him just being so open with his depression and suicidal thoughts and not knowing his dad. Because it was a point in my life where, you know, I wasn't that close to my dad like that.
But we are building a relationship now. But you know, just listening to him open up and just be himself. That really helped me like find my sound as an artist because I was rapping a little bit before I found out about Odd Future, but I didn't know what I was really doing, like who I wanted to be. And by, you know, just locking in and studying different artists like Tyler, Erykah Badu, MC Light, Kid Cudi, those guys and gals really inspired me to just, just be yourself. Like, just feel what you feel, talk about what you want to talk about. And especially the nineties golden era of hip-hop definitely inspired my sound. Like, I just felt like it was just so fun and free and it just reminded me of being a kid. Yeah.
I have weird, odd experiences all the freaking time. Everything is just so spiritual. I just feel like everything sometimes feels like it was already written.
DB: I love that. I also wanted to ask about two tracks in particular. “Dreamin Fiennin” and “Outro”. Um, who was speaking in there? Like, what was happening in those audios?
OM: So on Dreamin Fiennin, the audio, like the voice recording at the end was my dad. So I'm weird. I'm working on not doing it as much [laugh] or at least getting consent. But I used to record a lot of people talking. Like if I'm talking to people and I'm like, yo, this is inspiring, I just pull my phone out, act like I'm scrolling to start recording people [laugh]. So one day, me and my dad, um, it was so weird, we ran into each other on the train [laugh].
DB: Oh wow.
OM: And he drives. So I'm like, what? And I'm like, dad? He was like, “Hey, what's up?” I'm like… what are you doing here? “I'm just getting off work.” Like what? And he was like, um, “Yeah, I didn't wanna drive in the city today, so I just decided to take the train. You want a ride?” And I'm like, oh sure. He's like, “I parked at the station, I can give you a ride home.” So we were just in the car. He was like, “So what's up with the music? What you doing? Like, what's up?”
And this was like 2019, early 2019. So I was definitely, you know, going through a rough patch back then. So I kind of didn't wanna do music anymore at the time. And he was just like, nah, you gotta push through. Like, come on man, da da da da. So, you know, we pulled up in my driveway and, you know, he just really spit some good stuff. And I'm like, yo, hold on–I didn't tell him–I was like, yo [laugh]. Cause what I do is, I'll record people and I'll listen back when I'm in a better mental state because people talk to me when I'm not really in the best state. So sometimes I probably won't receive it in that moment. So I'll just record people and then I'll go back home and lay in my bed and just listen to it over and over until I get it. Yeah.
So that was my dad on Dreamin Fiennin. And then with the outro, oh my gosh, that voice recording is the first recording I have on my phone. That was like probably 2014. Um, me and an old friend, we were chilling outside just taking photos for Tumblr [laugh]. And this random guy just, you know, walked by us and was like, “What y'all doing over here?” We was like, we just taking photos. And he was just like, “Do you guys believe in God?” And I'm like, at the time, I did believe in God, but I was still finding my relationship with God.
And I was just like, you know, what's up? What you wanna say? He's like, “Can I pray for y'all?” And I'm like, okay. And he said the prayer. And before he prayed I definitely pulled my phone out. I was like, well, I gotta, I wanna listen back to this. And he prayed and then, you know–it was very weird. But we was like, yo, thank you so much. And what's your name? And I forgot his name, but yo, literally, we had like a tripod, like a camera. Like we was taking photos on our own. So we [turn around], set everything up and was trying to get it straight. And we turned back around. This guy was gone [laugh].
DB: Oh wow.
OM: I'm like, where did he go? Like, I don't even know where he went. Like he definitely walked down the street. We was like, yo, we was trying to get a photo with you. Like, what? Did he go in the house beside us? Like, I don't know where he went. Yeah. I'm like, bro, okay.
DB: Okay. Like, that's pretty odd. That's pretty weird.
OM: Very odd.
I experienced a lot of those moments meeting people that they just don't, they don't feel human. I don't know.
DB: So did you have any other, like, weird experiences producing the album or, you know, if you want to talk about just weird experiences in general that you've ever had?
OM: Yeah, yeah. I have weird, odd experiences all the freaking time. Everything is just so spiritual. I just feel like everything sometimes feels like it was already written. I definitely started working on the album in 2020, but in 2019 I knew I wanted to work on a new project. So I was kind of like preparing that for 2020. And one of the songs that I did write in 2019 was the song “Runnin”. It's like the oldest song on the project. And around that time when I was going through those emotions, I was dealing with my ex and, you know, we were kind of going back and forth, like, pretty much like ending things. And um, I was really going through it like, it was a hard time. It was really hard taking it.
And I started having an anxiety attack. I was on the train and I was coming off the train. I was like, yo, I need some water. Like, I feel like I'm overthinking this. Like, it's really taking a lot on me. Like yeah. And I came out the station and I went to the station manager. I was like, ma'am, do you have any water back there? I feel like I'm having an anxiety attack. And she looked at me and she rolled her eyes and she said, follow me. She popped out, grabbed me by my arm, pulled me in the back, slammed the door and was looking around like to see if anybody was there. She was like, “Get yourself together right now. I need you to breathe.” And she was telling me to breathe a certain way, like, and she was telling me to like, tap on my forehead, my two fingers to open up my third eye.
She said, “Your third eye is closed, and leave that nigga alone.” I'm like, huh? Like, how do you know it's about…? And she's like, “He ain't no good for you anyway. Y'all did what y'all did and it's done.” I'm like, who is speaking to me right now? Like, well, I recorded her like I was gonna put her on the album, but I didn't know if it like, made sense and it was a lot of noise. But that was a very odd experience. And she told me that she was sent down here to help people like me. And you know, she felt like she was just like, just a spirit, like helping people and showing people the meditation way and how to deal with anxiety.
And it was just really surreal. And that station was Capitol Heights. And I live in Capitol Heights. I never seen this woman again after that. I never seen her again. I always go to that station. I was looking for her to, to tell her thank you. And I never seen her again. Bruh. Come on bro. What's going on? What's going on? It be angels out here bruh. In our form talking to us, waiting for us feeling our energy, and knowing when to step in. Like, we're really protected. We're really protected, bro. I'm serious.
DB: That's amazing.
OM: If you are tapped into the spiritual world, they gonna come for you. When you ask your ancestors, your angels, they will come and they will show you that they've been here the whole time. Just waiting for you to just open the door for them. They'll give, give them access. Yeah. So, wow. I experienced a lot of those moments meeting people that they just don't, they don't feel human. I don't know.
DB: No. Yeah. I totally, I totally get that. I think about my guardian angels a lot. That's really interesting. That's the sort of thing I was looking for. Do you have any other experiences you would wanna share?
OM: Hmm. I feel like I do and I'm just trying to figure out what is a good one I can share. It's not dark, but trigger warning to anybody reading this. So like 2018, 2019 was hard for me cause I was going through a heartbreak breakup and after that breakup I had a friend breakup and it really like, messed me up. ’Cause I wanted that person to be there for me. But, you know, maybe it just worked out how it was supposed to work out. But in that moment, I didn't feel like… I didn't feel loved.
‘Cause also around that time, my mom wasn't supportive of my music career. And she literally told me to my face–because I used to work at the post office and I quit the post office because it was too time-consuming and I'm gonna just work at Starbucks [laugh]–but when I told her I quit, she was like, “Yeah, I don't see rap happening for you Mahogany.” And I'm like, what? Why would you say that? And that kind of, you know, made me feel even more low.
So I tried to commit suicide and I tried to hang myself. And what are the odds, one of my guy friends called me and he was like, “Yo, what are you doing?” I'm like, bro, like, I'm just not feeling it right now. And he was like, nah, I'm coming over. So I stopped and he came over and he was just talking to me. My mom didn't answer the door. Like it was just me and him. My mom was in the back. Nobody knew that he came over.
So we were just in my basement, just like talking. He was trying to figure out what's going on. He was just reassuring me that, you know, love will come to you again and just, you gotta just stay positive. Just all the good stuff. I said, all right, let me try one more thing. I'm gonna pray. I'm gonna pray to God. Cause I wasn't praying like that. I literally prayed.
I said, God, can you please show me that somebody at least cares or loves about me? Cause I don't feel love. I don't know how to love myself. I just feel alone. I was just telling Him, can you like bring a sign? And my friend left and he was like, just promise me you won't try anything else. Like, just call me if anything happens. And I was like, I will. But when he left, I was like, I was like, yo, no. If I don't feel like nobody cares about me, what's the point of being here? Like, I'm leaving, bro. Like, after this weekend, I'm probably gonna, yeah.
So then Monday morning, my mom never wakes up that early. And she busted my room. Like the hallway light was bright as hell. Like, I remember that day vividly. And we wasn't really talking like that. Me and my mom, we were just, hey, hi, bye. And she bust into my room and said, Mahogany, what are you doing? I'm like, huh. What? I'm laying down. What's up? She was like, are you okay? I'm like, yeah. Why? She was like, I had a dream you hung yourself. I'm like, what?
And it was surreal because I was about to that Friday, I literally was about to. And when she said she had that dream, she was like, “Mahogany, I love you. Me and your grandmother and your sister, we care about you. I love you. Did you want me to tell you that?” And I'm like, what? And I had all these goosebumps. I'm like, that's God. He really spoke through her like, yo, talk to your daughter. And like, ever since then, me and my mom, we've been like trying to rebuild our relationship and she's been like more chill about me being a rapper and stuff like that. So ever since that moment, I started working on my relationship with God after that. That was, I feel like that was kind of odd.
DB: No. Like.
OM: That was wild.
DB: That was wild.
OM: That was wild. [laugh]. Like, she literally said exactly what I was about to do and she said everything I was looking to hear. Wow. Was weird as hell.
DB: [laugh]. Wow. That was really profound to hear. Thank you for sharing such a personal moment. Like, you know, those are the type of life moments that are just like, I don't know that, you know, that's just God.
OM: That's God [laugh]. It's wild man. I feel like moments where I feel like God is, He has his hand in something. Those are like odd moments to me.
DB: Yeah.
OM: Like I feel like the matrix.
DB: And I feel that. I just feel the use of the word odd is a good way of using it.
OM: Mm-hmm.
DB: You know, maybe this question can feed into what we were just talking about, but what do you feel like your function is in this world while you're here?
OM: I feel like my function in this world is to just inspire people to just be themselves. And don't be afraid to ask for help. Because that's where it comes down to. And what I mean by help, it's like: pray to God, you know, to the most high, Allah, whatever you believe in. But you need to talk and pray to somebody. You have to have, you have to have that, in my opinion, just that connection with the universe. So I feel like that's my duty here. Like to just inspire people. Whoever comes across my music, my brand is to just love yourself. Because once you start loving yourself, you can love other people around you and you can tap into God. Yeah. So I just want to just keep showing people God.
DB: Yeah.
OM: It's because, man, it's hard out here. It's hard out here. And I think that, I think that once you get that connection, it won't be as hard. Yeah. It would take a lot off. But if you just walking out here and you don't believe in nothing, not the universe, anything. Yeah. You might be a little lost. Cause it's heavy. So just to give that to the universe, to God, you know, it'll be a good help.
DB: Big help. Yeah. Um, I really resonate with that. Well just taking it back a little bit. You know, we are here in the DMV, we're in DC. What do you make of the moment we're in, in the DMV music and art scene? Like what do you make of the scene right now?
OM: I think the scene, the DMV music scene is really making some good changes as far as like collaboration. I think a lot of people are starting to speak up. There was a time in 2020–I don't know if a lot of people know, not trying to, you know, bring the negatives out–but, you know, it was like a DMV rape page or something. And I felt like that was healthy to have that conversation because it was people in the area that were uncomfortable going to art shows, going to rap shows, because these predators would be in there. And I believe some of those people that were named, they're reflecting. And even though that was a negative wave, I feel like we became closer in a way. It made people, when you throw an event, you wanna say, I want this, I want you to feel safe.
People started working towards making a safe space for people. And I just think that the DMV music scene right now, we're just learning how to to be a scene. Like, it's always gonna be a scene, but it's like, are we together? Are we one? And I think that right now we're working towards that and it's definitely better than it was before. It's still a little cliqued up, but I think that individual people in, in these cliques, they're starting to come together and say, how can I help? And what can we do together to grow? Yeah. And I appreciate that and I see that with some of the other artists in the area. But I do hope that we do come together as a whole soon.
DB: Yeah.
OM: Um, but definitely I think that there's some positive changes happening.
DB: I really feel that, um, I mean the fact that we're able to have this conversation in the Village Cafe, you know.
OM: The Village Cafe. Shout out to the Village Cafe, see?
DB: Yes. Yes.
OM: Nice.
DB: No, like literally, uh, a hub for all the activity that we are, you know, talking about and hoping for, I think.
OM: Dang, that's for real.
DB: So last question. Um, what's in store for 2023? If you can share.
OM: Yeah, [laugh]. Um, so what's in store for 2023 for Odd Mojo is just, you know, continuing to bring the message out that something odd is coming and different ways–like more music videos, more, you know, merch, you know, around something odd is coming. I just wanna just really keep pushing. Something odd is coming, so I'm gonna just keep doing it the whole year. Like, I wanna give it a whole year, like a run of just promoting the album more with different things. Um, I do have some ideas that I want to do, like, I don't wanna say right now, but just know I'm very theatrical.
DB: [laugh] Oh. Period. Period.
OM: You know, just look out for something odd. Look out for something odd.
