OHGEESY INTERVIEW: LA-born, Mexican-American rapper OhGeesy, first emerged on the music scene in 2016 as one-fourth of the West Coast hip-hop collective Shoreline Mafia. VIPER spoke to him about his new album, upcoming Coachella performance and early days in the Rap industry…

You’ve built a loyal fan base and you keep making waves in the industry. What originally inspired you to start rapping? 

I was just looking for a way to express myself. I didn’t start with the intention of becoming famous or getting rich or anything like that; it was simply a way of self expression.

Your style and energy is a big part of who you are. How would you describe yourself in three words? 

Fly, flashy, turnt up!

With hits on Spotify and Billboard, you’ve clearly had success in both Shoreline Mafia and your solo career. What do you think has been the key to maintaining momentum and finding balance between the two? 

I think just staying consistent, grinding and working as hard as I possibly can. Doing both is easy for me. One feels more like a job, handling business and responsibilities, while being with the group is more fun – just linking up with the bros.

You recently dropped your album ‘Paid In Full’, what do you want your fans to take away from this album? 

For me it’s all about motivation, I want my fans to listen to my music and feel inspired. Whether that’s to make money, feel inspired within themselves and to keep pushing forward.

What is your favourite song on the project?

It would probably be my track ‘Keep Going’, that track is a motivating force in itself.

The track ‘Baby Girl’ featuring Lil Tjay, How did that collaboration come about and what inspired the sample from Fabulous’s song, ‘Let You Go’?

I’m a 90’s baby, so I have a whole playlist full of samples that I would love to use throughout my career. I always try to include one or two on every project I drop, just to pay homage. I knew Lil Tjay would fit perfectly too. He’s from the East Coast, from New York just like Fab, so it was like paying homage. 

You performed at Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth celebration ‘The Pop Out’. What was that experience like? 

It was intense, almost surreal. For me, it was more than just a concert; it felt like one of the biggest cosigns I could get. It was in LA, right where we come from. It wasn’t just a show, it was a moment of unity between the Black and Hispanic communities. It was super memorable and a moment that I will never forget.

You’ve worked with some big names in the industry, who’s someone you haven’t worked with yet, that you’d love to – dead or alive?

I want to work with all the Mexican artists, one of them being Peso Pluma for sure. One of my biggest goals is to do an entire project with Future and if I had to choose a late artist, I would have to say Tupac. I listen to him almost every day.

When you and Fenix Flexin reunited for ‘Heat Stick’ and ‘Work’, what was the chemistry in the studio like after so long? 

It just felt like old times – getting back into that creative mode. The chemistry was always there, which is why the song came out so fire. Actually I just got the call that the track went Gold so I’m super excited about that. It felt like just chilling with the homies. We hadn’t seen each other in years and when we linked back up it felt like we never left; we picked right where we left off.

Your music has a strong West Coast edge, with that signature flow. Who were some artists’ that influenced your sound? 

There’s a lot of them; Tupac, Snoop Dogg, E-40, Too Short, Daz, Kurupt and Doctor Dre. I grew up on the West sound, but I listen to everything from around the world too, but pretty much most artists’ from the Bay Area had a prominent influence.

How would you describe your style and what brands are you rocking heavily right now? 

I describe my style as really fly, but never doing too much. I’m not really super into high fashion or designer brands as such, but I do sometimes style pieces here and there. For the most part, I like wearing Supreme and skater brands because I grew up skateboarding. Growing up I never had money so I like to keep my style accessible. Also, I’ve come to realise that the healthier I get and the more I take care of myself, the more I give off a natural glow and it really shows.

You’ll be performing at Coachella with Shoreline Mafia in April. What do you expect this performance to do for your career?

We’re about to turn Coachella into a big ass house party! This is going to boost us even more and put us on the next level. Our performances – along with everything else we do – are calculated moves. We’re always focused on making the right decisions to push ourselves in the right directions. This will add to our legacy years from now, I’m really excited. This will be my first time at Coachella in general.

What three songs are on your playlist right now?  

This is so random but recently I’ve been playing ‘Un-thinkable (I’m Ready)’ by Alicia Keys. Especially before I go to the club, ‘Limitless’ by Central Cee. And lastly, Yabbie – he’s an artist from San Diego, and since I’m from Cali, I have to show love. He’s got a song called ‘Team Spirit’ that I’ve had on repeat.

If you could go back to your younger self and give one piece of advice, what would it be?

I’d tell my younger self to steer clear of bad energy. When I was younger, I wasn’t as in tune with myself as I am now, so I didn’t always recognise the energy I was surrounded by. It’s really about noticing the vibes – knowing what’s for me and what’s not. Just having that strong discernment and moving accordingly.

And lastly, we know you’ve got amazing things happening this year, what should fans be excited for? 

Coachella is definitely a huge highlight for us. I’ve also got another sample track coming with Fenix on the new Shoreline album dropping soon. It’s a ratchet track too so It’s safe to say we’re going to take over the summer. I’ve never done back-to-back projects before, but I just dropped mine, and we’re about to drop the new Shoreline project really, really soon.

Photos by Austin Simkins

Interview by Nickeeba Archer