Osay Gives Us a Taste of Her Rap Skills in the New Single “How Many Licks” 

After Osay’s uniquely written single “How Many Licks” was released, we caught up with an insightful interview with such a talented artist to explore her eidetic experience and what she had to say about his incredible musical journey so far. Read below to learn some exciting details about Osay and her musical journey

Thank you for speaking with us at African Hype. What’s the first thing you hope new listeners feel when listening to your music?

Thank you for having me. What I want people to recognize first and foremost is that I’m a little different from your average female artist, and I welcome that. I don’t always talk about the same things, my subject matter, my way of rapping, and my beat selections, are sometimes a bit off kilter because I want my music to represent me! A lot of my sound blends elements of old school and new school to create something totally new and I want people to feel that nostalgic essence about me, but also recognize that I’m doing it my way.

“How Many Licks” is a fun record from start to finish with the combo of that hard-hitting beat and your catchy lyrics. What was the inspiration behind that song?

Haha, I love that record. It’s not what you’d expect from me, but that’s a bit of why I like it. It’s fun, it’s sexy, it’s light-hearted, and honestly, it’s just a vibe. When I first heard the beat, I fell in love instantly and the lyrics just came naturally and I just gotta give a huge shout out to muladè for producing such heat lol.

I can’t say there was anything in particular that inspired the song outside of just what I was when I heard those kicks and that bang. I didn’t want the song to be taken too seriously or have the lyrics be too intricate, I think there’s a time and place for everything so I just wanted to just swag out on the song and let the beat kinda lead me.

Have you written songs for any other artists?

I have! Before I became an artist in my own right, my small claim to fame was working behind the scenes writing for other artists. They were all small local artists, so nothing you would have ever heard of but it did prep me on how to tell different stories and variate my subject matter as well as just putting myself in someone else’s shoes. I think that experience helped me a lot in improving my artistry and versatility.

What do you enjoy most about being an artist?         

That’s a good question. The thing I love most about being an artist is creating. Simple I know, but seriously I love that I can have an idea and then I go to record it and it becomes this tangible thing that other people can also enjoy. For the longest time, my songs were just private voice memos on my phone and now I have songs that are out that can be streamed and downloaded for anyone to listen to. Man if you told me I would have public releases a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed it. Creativity has no bounds and being able to expand upon thoughts and ideas that literally came from nothing is absolutely mind-bending to me. It’s so surreal and I never want to take that for granted.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?

If I could collab with any artist of today it would either be J. Cole or Brent Fiayaz. I love J. Cole, I remember first hearing his Friday Night Lights project and just being enamored by his storytelling and real perspective on life. I also really appreciated seeing how different he was from his contemporaries at that time but he owned it. I’ve been a fan ever since and I just admire him not only as a creator but as a person, he really cares about what he does and you get a sense of how genuine he is through his endeavors and his work.

Brent reminds me of the old-school r&b I grew up listening to and I just think he’s incredible and super talented. I think he just had this essence about him that brings life to any song he’s a part of and I would love to have some of his special sauce on a record.

Do you put a lot of pressure on yourself?

Haha, is water wet, is grass green. I put so much pressure on myself it’s not even funny. It’s because I love music, I love that my art has given me this platform. It’s the only time, I truly feel like I have a voice and I want to do it well. Anything worth pursuing should be done at the best quality you can so I find myself banging my head against a wall trying to come up with the best ideas I can. I’m always working, always writing, always trying to find new ways to push the envelope and myself further and I think if you want something bad enough, you gotta apply that pressure to a certain degree to get what you want. Pressure makes diamonds or it busts pipes, you decide how it affects you.

Are you working on any project right now and what can we expect from you in the future?

Yes, I’m currently working on my first EP documenting my current journey as an artist as well as just navigating this thing we call life. It should be dropping later this year and I’m excited to give the people a full-length project. I’ve been dropping singles for the time being but there’s something really special about creating a body of work and being able to tell a full-fleshed story to really give people a sense of who I am. You can also expect more singles as well some new visuals dropping very soon.

For our final question, is there anything else you would like to add?

For everyone who has checked out my work or even took the time out to read this article thank you so, so much. For those of you discovering me for the first time, I’m Osay a female rapper, a singer-songwriter who’s tryna bring a bit of personality and fun back into music. I just released a few singles such as “Shimmy Season” and “I’m On High” which is out everywhere.  And a music video for my single, “Off Brand” will be coming out soon. I think that’s everything but you can find me everywhere at @osaycantsee. Thanks again African Hype for the opportunity.

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