Oblé Reed Is Not Here To Reminisce About The Past

Oblè Reed will not hold hands and reminisce with you about hip-hop’s golden age. The Seattle-based rapper is respectfully uninterested in what came before. Admitting his first exposure to hip-hop was through a Christian rap album recommended by his father, Reed’s music has the kind of perspective that can only come from untainted expectations. There are no remnants of glorified hip-hop cliches wedged between his social commentaries. Reed did not intend to become a musician until halfway through his college career. But, like many newcomers in the industry, the pandemic sparked a change in course for Reed. He unexpectedly found himself garnering attention from the likes of Pharrell Williams. In 2021, Pharrell’s multimedia collective, i am OTHER, curated a collaborative album featuring Reed’s single “Loose Change.” The song highlights the young, mixed-race rapper’s earnest lyrics and unassuming delivery style without becoming a blindly idealistic anthem. Although he keeps his music profanity-free for accessibility, Reed does not shy away from complex subject matter. His single “BLACKKIDS” addresses the premature loss of innocence that plagues most black and brown children. While Reed is determined to stand apart from his contemporaries, his music is not wholly without influence. The artist cites J. Cole and Chance the Rapper as inspirations. Reed is also part of a new generation of Pacific Northwest hip-hop artists who have embraced the region's unique imprint on the musical landscape. Reed’s ability to be unreservedly honest and emotionally open while remaining the most exciting person in the room puts him in league with U.K. artists like Dave and Stormzy more than his U.S. cohorts. We caught up with Oblè Reed at the end of March, during this year's Treefort Music Festival, to discuss the artist’s plans for the future and his unique perspective within the hip-hop community. Reed’s latest single, “SK[I]NCARE,” is available now on all streaming platforms.

Oblé Reed performing at The Reef. Photo by April Massey

AM: This is your second year at Treefort. What keeps you coming back?

Oblé Reed: Everyone here supports and shows love for the arts. Not only am I here to share my art, but I also get to experience art from around the world. I do not get those opportunities very much. So I am excited about being in a place where those experiences are the sole purpose.

AM: What is it like for you, having a festival like this in your backyard?

OR: The Pacific Northwest has so much talent, but we do not have the kind of industry infrastructure as L.A. or New York. Having a big festival like this where we get to build momentum and put eyes on what we are doing is dope. 

AM: People will dismiss the music scene here because we are in Idaho. That is akin to what still happens with other genres of music besides grunge in Seattle. 

OR: The Seattle hip-hop scene has yet to convince the community that we are worth investing in. The more artists take their business and image seriously, the more we will continue to grow. I started to feel that energy shift at the end of 2022. Coming into 2023 with new music for the first time in a year and a half has cemented that energy even more. 

AM: There are a lot of really great independent hip-hop artists coming out of Seattle.

OR: Are you an avid hip-hop listener?

AM: I am a “little bit of everything” person, but I listen to a fair amount of hip-hop.

OR: I am trying to be more of a “bit of everything” person. I grew up listening to contemporary Christian music and smooth jazz. I did not listen to modern hip-hop until I was a junior in high school. I am still exploring new genres and expanding my musical taste. 

AM: How do you think coming from a more closed-off musical background informs what you are doing now?

OR: The first time I heard rap music was when my dad brought home a CD from the Christian rapper Lecrae. That was the only music I listened to for a long time. I do not curse in any of my songs because the music I listened to while refining my craft did not either. My writing is very reflective of my own experiences. Growing up with artists who told their stories and spoke their truth showed me it was possible to do that and still be successful. 

AM: You have spoken before about not using profanity to make your music as accessible as possible.

OR: People say they will not listen to an artist because they swear too much, but no one ever says, “This artist does not swear enough for me.” I make my music as digestible as possible for people from all walks of life. I am trying to share my life story and empower people to do the same. Making profanity and vulgar-free music makes the message I am trying to convey much clearer. 

AM: But some artists have been called corny or accused of pandering by their peers for having that sentiment.

OB: Alternative hip-hop provides a space for people to listen to music outside of preconceived notions. My music reflects my life. How is someone going to tell me I am corny? If I stick to my roots, that authenticity will shine through. 

AM: In 2021, your single “Loose Change” was featured on a collaborative album curated by Pharrell Williams’ label. How did that come together?

Oblé Reed performing at The Reef. Photo by April Massey

OR: I built a home studio in my childhood treehouse during quarantine. “Loose Change” was one of the first songs I recorded, engineered, and mixed. That was during the height of the Seattle riots. Growing up in a mixed household, I was getting a lot of questions. I wrote and recorded the song in about thirty minutes. It just flowed out. My videographer and I made the video for it the next day. It got 700,000 views on TikTok. That is how Pharrell’s people found me.

AM: For many musicians, being in the music industry is a legacy or something they have dreamed of doing since childhood. That is not the case for you. How has that absence of influence shaped your music? 

OR: I did not grow up listening to hip-hop, so I was not trying to emulate what was said in the mainstream. I was able to be myself and grow through that process.

AM: What has the reaction been like from your family and friends?

OR: It was hard for them to understand. In high school, education and sports were everything to me. I got into all the colleges I wanted to go to. I was running track and working towards becoming an epidemiologist. I was on a path, but when quarantine hit, I dropped out and started making music. My family did not like me dropping out of college, but they saw my dedication and realized this was what I was meant to do. 

AM: How did the early success of being included on the i am OTHER collaboration affect what you were doing?

OR: It was a double-edged sword. It affirmed my choice to invest entirely in music. I garnered a lot of respect and attention from my peers. But it was very, very early, and I was not ready. I am a big advocate for mental health. When that happened, I struggled to balance doing big things and being alone with my thoughts. If I had known then what I know now, it would have gone differently. But it was a wake-up call. 

AM: What was it like to step away from that?

OR: After being included in that project, I started cold-dropping songs. I thought everyone would listen because they liked that one song, but it did not happen. I thought it was a fluke and would never make a song like that again. I took the whole summer off of social media. I was not ready. I could have put my mental health aside and pushed through to success, but what would have been the point if I could not even sit with myself? A lot of artists neglect their mental health and suffer the repercussions later. 

AM: Mental health awareness has been a big focus for many of the younger artists I talk to.

OR: My generation is much more open and comfortable talking about mental health. We are putting it in the forefront and making it a priority. The music industry will be better for it. 

AM: How has being from a mixed-race background informed the conversation you are having through your music?

OR: It is an identity crisis. Growing up, I was not black enough to hang out with the black kids, but I also was not white enough to hang out with the white kids. I was doing a lot of code-switching. When I started making music, I experienced a lot of discrediting because of my mixed race. I had to fight against conforming to the stereotypes of either side. I wrote “Loose Change” because I saw my mom, who is white, educating herself about everything happening and examining her role in it. My dad is from the Ivory Coast and moved here as an adult. He was trying to understand what my siblings and I were going through, growing up with the racism he did not experience as a child. 

AM: You describe your single “BLACKKIDS” as a dialogue between the older and younger generations.

OR: I was having these conversations that were hard for me as an adult, thinking about 11, and 12-year-old kids who were having those same conversations. These kids are going through the same experiences as adults. Those conversations are necessary but strip away their innocence. It is sad. The song's premise is to hold off on those conversations and let them retain that sliver of hope. Empower people to fight for change instead of sitting in the reality of our situation. 

Oblé Reed performing at The Reef. Photo by April Massey

AM: That loss of innocence happens at a much younger age for black and brown children.

OR: I had those conversations growing up. Do not wear your hood outside, do not walk around after dark, do not take your backpack into stores, always get your receipt. I had white friends that were not being held to the same standards. I looked at them, thinking I was less because I had to follow these special rules. It is having to act twice as good for half the respect or getting half the reward for twice the struggle. Um, it just… it just sucks. Our community has a voice that is being heard more each day. Projecting those positive images onto our children will empower them to use their voices to fight against the status quo. 

AM: As your career grows, is there a specific message you want to focus on?

OR: I use the term “romanticized authenticity.” Everything I express in my music and on social media is my life, and life is beautiful. There are so many aspects of everyday life that are amazing. Some parts suck. Yes, we have to talk about it, but take time to see the beauty in what we are building. We are bombarded with negative news all the time. We need to protect young minds. Allow them to breathe and not be suppressed by those negative messages.

AM: You are a very earnest person. That is something that is still widely shunned in all genres of music. How do you combat that?

OR: At its roots, hip-hop is storytelling built out of the black experience. A lot of modern hip-hop is centered around proving yourself -  lots of money, drugs, this and that. But I find worth in my connections with people. My music speaks for itself. I am rapping about my daily life and my experiences. People can see themselves in the art. Anything related to my music is a family affair. It is all love and authenticity. 

AM: You just dropped a two-song EP. What are you focusing on next?

OR: Everything is building to a project at the end of May. The purpose of which is to show who I am. I have grown so much, but I kept it in the dark. This project is the story of how I got to the beginning of my career. I have been doing this since I was 17. Now that I know myself, this is the beginning. This is Oblé Reed. 

This article has been edited and condensed.