Oso Negro

Artist Information

Biography

A recovering scientist, Oso Negro has dedicated his future to channeling his hip-hop guide. Born in South Africa, Oso moved to North America as an infant. Educated within these great fifty states, Oso studied in Cincinnati, Chicago, and Oxford, MS, before moving to the Treasure Valley and finding his niche. Oso started his music career in the mid-South during 2001, with the band New Madrid Click, then entered the hip-hop group H-BOMS, and is now making solo moves throughout the western states.

Oso has been hitting the road a lot over the last couple of years, participating in several regional tours and playing shows from Seattle to Los Angeles to Bozeman, and just about everywhere between.

Oso Negro has supported such acts as Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Mickey Avalon, SOJA, Grupo Fantasma, Cunninlynguists, Homeboy Sandman, Tribal Seeds, Tonedeff, Abtract Rude, Myka 9, Scarub, Sweatshop Union, K-OS, Ceschi, Anuhea, Seedless, DJ Zeph & Azeem, Astronautalis, Mac Lethal, Shad, Awol One, Pigeon Hole, Sleep of Oldominion, Darktime Sunshine, Ugly Duckling, Ecid, Cecil Otter, B.Dolan, Qwel and Maker, Jackie Chain, and Poppa Grows Funk, among others. In addition, Oso has been part of the Treefort Music Fest (Boise), Alive After 5 Summer Concert Series (Boise), Neon Reverb Music Festival (Las Vegas), Boise Hip-Hop Festival, H.O.P.E. Fest, Urban Arts Festival (Salt Lake City), Chamberlin Rail Jam (Bozeman), and Promenade Music Festival (Boise). In 2011, Oso has had various songs getting spins on both terrestrial and internet radio stations in WA, ID, UT, NV, SD, MA, and MS, as well as been interviewed by DJ Jason D for Boise Community Radio, KRBX 89.9.

Influenced by the raw imagery of Wu-Tang, harmonies and gaze toward nature of Goodie Mob, mysticism of the Doors, and transcendence of topics by the likes of Aesop Rock, Cage, and El-P, Oso rarely if ever receives outright comparisons to other artists. His emceeing has been described as melodious, musical, and full of fun patterns. Don't forget the strong reggae and electronic undertones in his music, either.

Instrumentation

Discography

Politicallous EP- 2004
Project: Black Bear EP- 2005
"Nickel and Dime," Debtor's Paradise LP (STORK)- 2007
"Reality," Debtor's Paradise LP (STORK)- 2007
"Top Notch," Debtor's Paradise LP (STORK)- 2007
"Killed Another Man," Intent To Distribute LP (STORK & NICKB)-2008
"Under One Spell," Intent To Distribute LP (STORK & NICKB)-2008
Magnified LP- 2009
"My Dear"- single from Out The System, 2009
Out The System LP- 2009
"Can't Stop," Music Notes, the Mixtape (SUNNY MARX)- September, 2011
Hungry Bear EP- 09.27.11
"Some of Your Favorite Emcees," All Seriousness Aside (MR. P. CHILL)- October, 2011
Meta-Static EP- 01.01.2012
"Monumental," Eat Somethin': Vol.1 EP (DOZE)- 05.10.12

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Twitter

Audio

• glimpse of sunshine
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• My Dear
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• die or deal
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• strive
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• start a fire
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Lyrics

• Busy Bees

Video

ecko kf 062511 vid

wanna madhappy bend 062311 vid

Photo Gallery

Press

• Treefort: Fans Get Primped and Preened For Hip-Hop at Reef [+ Show ]
  

  "On stage, Oso Negro dropped rhymes over bass-heavy tracks by DJ Toe, the crowd waving their arms in..."On stage, Oso Negro dropped rhymes over bass-heavy tracks by DJ Toe, the crowd waving their arms in the air for the South African-born rapper who now calls the Treasure Valley home. Judging by their cheers, Oso was oh-so well-received."

• CARROT-GINGER-WHITE BEAN SOUP GINGERLY IMPALED BY OSO NEGRO AND LEVI BAZILIO [+ Show ]
  

  "Carrot and Ginger soup is best served with something intense and raw. These two descriptors remind ..."Carrot and Ginger soup is best served with something intense and raw. These two descriptors remind me of new tracks from Oso Negro & DJ Toe and Levi Bazilio. While New Yorkers were standing around watching the ball drop Oso Negro (first posted here) was busy preparing to drop something else. He and DJ Toe joined forces to welcome 2012 with a seven track album Meta-Static. You can get the album for free from his bandcamp page. The stand out track is “Strive” because of its positive lyrics pressing you to go out and do something creative. Oso spits them over a bed of music that evokes a showdown at noon, the day after the apocalypse, with metallic carnage all around. He’s giving you a choice. Follow the words or end up like the music, wishing you had done something else in your life. It is a New Year…what better time to strive than now?"

• Scenes From a Scene #025—Oso Negro [+ Show ]
  

  Boise Weekly recently had a chance to catch up with one of Boise’s premier MCs, Oso Negro, who has r...Boise Weekly recently had a chance to catch up with one of Boise’s premier MCs, Oso Negro, who has released two albums: Magnified and Out The System.
  
  In a quest to expand his loyal fan base, Oso Negro—which means “black bear” in Spanish—does a number of shows around Boise and in the Payette area, and he has developed quite a buzz as a fan favorite from the way he rocks the mic.
  
  [THIS IS A VIDEO INTERVIEW]

• Neon Reverb, 03.11.11: The Beard Man cometh [+ Show ]
  

  The good times stayed in tact for Oregonian rapper Oso Negro. The dude looked more like a sound tech...The good times stayed in tact for Oregonian rapper Oso Negro. The dude looked more like a sound tech than a rapper, but that didn’t prevent him from opening with a song that felt oddly like Atmosphere’s “God’s Bathroom Floor.” Maybe not in content, but in the sense that you could probably have sex to it and not be asked to turn it off. We’re dubbing it “that smoothness."

• Starting off Right [+ Show ]
  

  "Oso Negro a veteran in the hip hop scene in Idaho but with roots embedded in the dirty south of Mis..."Oso Negro a veteran in the hip hop scene in Idaho but with roots embedded in the dirty south of Mississippi, has made a name for himself these past decade or so. The Good Call Sport & Grill show was my first exposure to an artist who has passion for all he spits infront of no matter the size of the crowd. Gracing us with the sound of “Out The System” I have been excited with the continuation of the collaboration of DJ Toe and Oso Negro. They made my New Year by dropping the brand new project “Meta-Static“. I been playing these Toe-Jams all day and can’t wait to hear what The Black Bear has to offer next. Go check out ‘Can You Feel ‘ and then pick up “Meta-Static”."

• 5 Boise Bands (Other Than Built to Spill) You Need to Hear Right Now [+ Show ]
  

  ....Other currently active Boise bands you should know about (in no particular order, and this is mo.......Other currently active Boise bands you should know about (in no particular order, and this is most definitely not comprehensive): Shades, Art Fad, TEENS, Uzala, Le Fleur, A Seasonal Disguise, Mozam Beaks, Dark Swallows, The Very Most, Junior Rocket Scientist, Microbabies, Storie Grubb & the Holy Wars, Brett Netson Band, Red Hands Black Feet, Mickey the Jump, Fauxbois, Grandma Kelsey, Hypno Safari, the Dirty Moogs, How's Your Family?, With Child, Range Life, Neo Tundra Cowboy, the Maladroids, Matt Hopper & the Roman Candles, Jumping Sharks, Low-Fi, Thomas Paul, Oso Negro, Dedicated Servers, and Curtis Plum.

• Local Hip Hop Artist Returns to Oxford [+ Show ]
  

  ...Out the System is his best work yet. With interesting beat production by DJ Toe, Out the System i......Out the System is his best work yet. With interesting beat production by DJ Toe, Out the System is a slammin’ modern reincarnation of the Black Bear at his best. The album is presented in a mixtape style with DJ Nick B., seamlessly intertwining the tracks together for a continuous 45-minute brain feast. Check it out and check him out.

• Feature Artist: Oso Negro! [Interview] [+ Show ]
  

  The LIST: How'd you get into Music? Oso Negro: I was born in South Africa, moved to Canada as a bab...The LIST: How'd you get into Music?
  Oso Negro: I was born in South Africa, moved to Canada as a baby, grew up near Cincy, went to college near Chicago, attended grad school in Mississippi, and moved to the Oregon-Idaho border about 5 years ago. While studying science at Ole Miss, I took on a weekend job as doorman for Two Stick, a sushi bar/music venue. One of their sushi chefs was also a DJ. At an afterparty where he was spinning I started rapping a song I'd written. I'd been freestyling out and about for a while, but this was one of my first constructed songs. Little did I realize that he and another musician in town were forming a band, and they asked me to front it. So I started emceeing with a Southern-funk-electro-hip-hop band called New Madrid Click. I'd grown up with some piano lessons, and had sung in school choirs from middle school through the beginning of college, messed around on the guitar a bit, but this was my first real experience with a band or hip-hop. Eventually the band dissipated, but I started learning to make beats and kept emceeing. Since vocals are where my heart's at, I've left the beat-making to others.
  
  The LIST: Who are some of your influences?
  Oso Negro: During high school I mostly listened to classic rock. I was addicted to the Doors and loved The Who as well. Janes Addiction was killing it too, though. Back then my homie Jason and I would go to school bumping Special Ed in his Datson. And of course I'd catch YO! Mtv Raps. At college I went from listening to a lot of acoustic stuff like CSNY, and Simon & Garfunkel, to getting in to Marley. Then Wu-Tang dropped, and Outkast and Goodie Mob debuted, and I got more into Pac. That changed everything. After getting to Mississippi I discovered Company Flow and Rawkus records, and then Definitive Jux was formed and I became a fan of their artists and really respected how El-P was running stuff. Hiero was a big influence too; smart as hell w/ incredible patterns. Each of these musical entities created their own mythology, which made me curious about their pools of ideas. It drew me in. At times they communicated abstractly and esoterically, and that content made me think and freely associate. Often I would project my own images onto whatever the hell they were talking about, and it was stimulating. That's something I work to accomplish in my songs. In addition to these artists, I became interested in unraveling some of the strange events and influences around and discovered Charles Hoy Fort, who catalogued all sorts of early recorded paranormal activities, and Alex Jones and Myron Fagan, who attempted to provide an alternate framework through which to view history, politics, and culture.
  
  The LIST: What have you been up to recently?
  Oso Negro: Lately I've been traveling to mostly snowy towns for gigs: Bozeman, Park City, Salt Lake City, Mt. Shasta, and (non-snowy) Las Vegas. This May I'll be playing at the Boise Spring Hip-Hop Festival and an urban arts festival in Salt Lake City. This June I will be participating in Alive After 5, the annual downtown summer-concert series held in Boise. The "Boise Weekly" recently featured me in a video interview interwoven with footage from a recent performance. I've had some radio play online in Boston, and will have some spins on BMP Pirate Radio out of Utah. Some of my music is being used in videos by sports companies- Shasta Boyz Productions (kayak) in Mt. Shasta, and Stance Industries (snowboard/ ski) in Park City.
  
  The LIST: What do you bring to the industry?
  Oso Negro: Fortunately for me I stopped seeking a lot of hip-hop before this later wave moved in. I am not influenced by many things some current folks are. Everything from Kanye to Atmosphere, I've pretty much ignored. As I began to construct my own sound, I isolated myself more and more from most widely distributed hip-hop. During that shift from consumer to producer I decided to purify my palate, and turned to classical music as the perfect alternative. I think it's helped me clarify some of the complex rap patterns I throw out, as well as heightened the melodic features of my hooks that I work to craft. All subconsciously; it truly stimulates the brain. Also, music is more of a second career for me. I didn't run through the hip-hop scene as a youth, or teen-ager, so I got to develop my sense of self and flavor without extended battle-rap sessions, bravado rap construction, or influence by a crew. At times, my content is actually more reflective, metaphysical, and reggae-like than hip-hop, although my flows are hardcore emceeing. I have tried to marry almost poppy-romantic singing hooks with in-your-face examining and philosophical lyrics.
  
  The LIST: What's next for Oso Negro?
  Oso Negro: Generate as much quality music as possible! Currently I am in various stages of completion on two projects. The first is sort of a follow up to Out The System (2009), in that all beats are produced by DJ Toe, from Memphis, TN. The second is made up of beats from multiple producers, but a chunk is by NickB (www.soundcloud.com/nickb-music), out of Oxford, MS. I plan on taking my show on the road some more; travel as far as gas prices permit and time allows. I'd love to jump on some short tour legs with more established artists to gain greater exposure. It's not easy operating as a lone wolf living in a small farm town, but I have found some advocates such as EarthPulse Productions (CA), Uprok Records (SLC), FreeRange Booking (ID), and FreshTalent (Vegas) that have helped me book some very solid gigs.
  
  MUSIC + CONTACT + BOOKING
  www.sonicbids.com/osonegro
  ww.facebook.com/osonegromusic
  www.reverbnation.com/osonegro
  www.youtube.com/osonegrohiphop

Setlist

Oso Negro does b/w 25-35 minutes per set, and the songs rotate regularly.

Basic Requirements

Calendar