With Prince, you never really knew – would he do the encore or not? Oddisee quotes him at a concert in Bremen with the words »when the audience is done, I’m done«. The audience in the Kleines Haus theater isn’t finished yet. So the rapper from Washington D.C. continues.
Oddisee is currently touring Europe with Good Company. He is celebrating the tenth anniversary of his popular 2015 album, The Good Fight. »I realized that [the album] left a very strong and lasting impression,« he says. The tour is his way of showing respect to his fans. It is the first time that he has played a full album live with his band.
All in the studio, all out on stage
The Good Fight is particularly well suited for this. It thrives on its abundance of acoustic instruments, which are given plenty of space to unfold. Oddisee put the album together meticulously, his recording process is a contemplative one. The wind changes on stage. This is where the rapper really comes out of his shell.
The performances are energetic and intense. The anniversary tour is no different. Oddisee, usually functionally introverted, takes center stage. Ralph »Real« Washington (keys and vocals) sometimes jumps to his side and dances exuberantly. Or he sings. When his soul pipes penetrate your ears, you get goose bumps.
»I’m already thinking about the next record, I’m already thinking about the next thing«.
Oddisee
A lot has happened to Amir Mohamed aka Oddisee since the release of The Good Fight. He is now the father of two children, so he is no longer solely responsible for himself. But the music doesn’t fall by the wayside. Oddisee: »I’m already thinking about the next record, I’m already thinking about the next thing.«
Odd Cure was released in 2020, followed three years later by To What End, his last album to date. Several features followed in 2024, as well as the EP And Yet Still. Another is due this month and will be called En Route.
But back to the Bremen concert: Oddisee doesn’t really feel like an encore. He admits that he would rather be in the shower watching another show. Maybe Prince influenced him more than you think – the international star also liked to break people’s expectations. Oddisee does it in his own way: »I’m all about transparency«. It didn’t detract from the show.
