Recently I Got A Chance To Chop It Up With Homie Omen. A Chicago Artist Known For His Mixtapes Do The Right Thing, Delayed And Classic Features With Fellow Dreamville Member J.Cole. I Talked To Omen About His Upcoming Mixtape Afraid Of Hights, Which Is Dropping November 4th. Also We Talked About Some Of His Influences And Things Has In The Works, Check It Out Click The Link
OneCoolGeek: With 2009 Being Since Your Last Project "Delayed", How Does It Feel To Be Releasing Your Next Project Afraid Of Heights ? Also, How Does Afraid Of Heights Differ from "Delayed" And What Should Fans Expect From This One?
Omen: Well I've been working on Afraid of Heights even before Delayed was actually out. I just put out Delayed, to serve as kind of a sampler for what this project would be and just to have some material out there for some of my newer fans to hear. This mixtape is a much more thought out, intricate project. I'm showcasing who I am as an artist, as a person and telling a lot more of my story. There's always more to show people since people are so complex and layered but I think people will feel like they know me better after hearing it.
OneCoolGeek: Having Tracks Like Liberation Setting Fire To The Internet, Do You Plan To Put Any Visuals Behind It, Or Do Have Visuals Set For Another Track Off Afraid Of Heights?
Omen: I definitely plan to have visuals. A video for Liberation is in the works with Impakt Studio, as well as a lot of other songs from Afraid of Heights. They'll probably be released throughout the year.
OneCoolGeek: Where Was Afraid Of Heights Recorded? Did That Play Any Role In The Over All Vibe Of The Project ?
Omen: I've been working on this project on and off so long that its been a lot of different places, when I was living in Chicago I started here, then in the process I moved to New York and worked there, I went on tours around the world and worked that way and once that was done, I decided to come finish in Chicago, just because there's a certain vibe about home that I get, a certain kind of authenticity I feel about working here.
OneCoolGeek: Is J. Cole or Any Other Dreamville Artist Featured On Afraid Of Heights?
Omen: Yeah, J. Cole is on a joint called Mama Told Me and its crazy. I also have a joint with Elite & Voli called Wow, its a fun song showing a different side of my personality I don't think I've shown a lot yet.
OneCoolGeek: With J. Cole Recently Performing In Chicago, How Was It To Be In Front Of Your Hometown At The House Of Blues?
Omen: Man that was really dope. It was crazy to even realize out of all the shows we've done together we had never actually performed in my hometown together. So that was special for me. A few weeks before I had gone to see Blackstar at the House of Blues in Chicago, so it was just dope to be on that same stage in front of people from my city. They showed a lot of love.
OneCoolGeek: Who Are The Featured Producers On Afraid Of Heights?
Omen: I'm proud to say I produced this entire project.
OneCoolGeek: Who Or What Inspired You To Rap And What Would You Suggest To Any Aspiring Rappers?
Omen: Well I can be somewhat quiet by nature, and I've always been a super fan of music period. Rap was one of the first things I was really good at other than basketball growing up. You know its a somewhat typical story of a black guy growing up, he either raps or plays basketball (laughs) but, while I was a good neighborhood basketball player, music was the first thing I ever truly dedicated myself to. My uncle was a hiphop head/dj and he had me listening to Rakim, Tribe Called Quest, Geto Boys, MC Eiht and tons of stuff growing up. And eventually, my favorites became Nas and Common. As well as the other greats we always hear, JayZ, Pac, Eminem, Big, Andre, etc.
OneCoolGeek: Including Yourself Who Would You Say Are The Next Rappers The World Should Look Out For?
Omen: I recently got a chance to hear a new guy from NC named King Mez, he's dope. I like Nitty Scott, I like her style. Elite has an incredible project coming out. Voli just put out a fire mixtape. On the road, I got to hear some of Wale's man Fattrel's music hes dope. An artist named Penn from Chicago and I'm sure its plenty others I'm forgetting, but this is a great time for hip-hop, there's a ton of great artist out from Kendrick Lamar, Blu, Big Krit,etc.
OneCoolGeek: What Is Your Deal Situation, Will You Coming Out Under Dreamville Or a Major Label?
Omen: Right now I'm unsigned. Dreamville is the team/family. Don't know what the future holds, but I'm definitely open to majors. More concerned with developing a great, loyal fan base and if a great deal happens in that process, that's even better.
OneCoolGeek: After Afraid Of Heights Drops Can Fans Expect Anything Else From You In The Near Future? Like an Album or Tour.
Omen: Definitely, I plan to be a lot more active. More shows, videos and projects. I'm thinking about an EP idea already that I'm considering putting out early next year, but we'll see...I have a lot of ideas and things I wanna do. I wanna produce some other artist work as well. Afraid of Heights feels like the beginning.
I'm going to check out that "Mama Told Me." Gotta come hard with that title
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